[Ashlio+Peregrine]

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"He's not waking back up, Audric," she replied, an amused tilt to her lips. "People don't just do that, you know."
 
He rolled his eyes. No answer, great. Then he remembered he was standing by a (hopefully) dead body. Before anyone got the chance to notice him, he quickly walked away, pulling the dark leather coat tighter around himself. The raven returned to sit on his shoulder and pecked at his ear. Audric sighed and reached into his pocket, and pulled out a couple of dried corns. The raven jumped down his arms and ate the corns while Audric kept walking. "I assume no one else can see you," he said and looked over his shoulder to see if the strange woman still followed him.
 
There she was, a step and a half behind him, just like she would be for a very long time. It was a relief to not be moving on for once. How long had she waited for this. "Not unless I want them to," was her straightforward reply. "What do you intend to do now?"
 
"Go home," he said and looked forward again. The raven took off and flew ahead, crowing now and then. He could have given a better answer, probably, but since she wasn't very eager to answer his questions, he would act the same back. Master or not.
 
She might as well have been a statue, so little emotion did she show. "Lead on, then." This time her lack of emotion was honest, not simply a mask to conceal different thoughts. It didn't really matter to her what Audric did, or where he went. Her use for him was limited, but important. Until such a moment came, she was more than happy to let him do whatever he wanted, act however he wanted. Her only responsibility was keeping him alive until his usefulness repaid itself.
 
With 'home', Audric ment headquarters. He wasn't working on his missions alone, far from it, and a lot of them lived together in an abandoned factory. He would never have brought anyone there, so it felt a bit odd having her following after him, but he reminded himself that no one could see her. Unless she decided otherwise. He really hoped that didn't happen.

The building looked dark and empty from the outside, but after stepping through a door, that were leaning more on the hinges than actually hanging on them, and walking down a hall, he came into a room with a fireplace and people sitting around, talking in hushed voices. The smell of food hit him and his stomach rumbled.

"Audric." An elder man stepped away from the fireplace and greeted him with a concerned look. "What happened?"
"They were waiting for us," he said and looked around the room before facing Eric again. "Did the others make it back?"
"Everyone except Peter. No one has seen him. We thought we had seen the last of you too. What took you so long?"
Audric clenched his jaws. Peter was missing. Not good. And in his case... he wish he had an answer for Eric. "Took some time to loose them. Peter might have the same problem," he said and then walked over to the fire, getting himself a bowl of stew.
 
Seeing all these people, she couldn't help but wonder, what would they do when they eventually found out they had an immortal in their midst? How would things change? Because they would, inevitably, change. Immortals, no matter how they might look or feel on the inside, were no longer human, for the simple fact that the rest of humanity didn't treat them like they were human. There had been immortals in the past that had been locked up as soon as they were discovered, especially shortly after one ambitious immortal had used his nature to gather together a cult and take over the world. Many immortals were forced into service of nobles or kings, as bodyguards and bullet-shields. Even if they decided to keep him around rather than send him away, Audric's role in this group of criminals would certainly change. He was immortal, the rest of them weren't. They would say it was only right for him to be the one risking himself, taking on the most dangerous missions. After all, he was no longer putting his life on the line.

Who would be the one who would first raise that question, make that decision? The dark haired man sitting near the fireplace, gulping down cheap booze? The blonde woman in the corner, with a scar across her cheek? Perhaps it would even be the older man Audric was speaking too now, the one that had been so concerned for his safety only moments before. Wouldn't that be ironic.
 
Eric followed him, looking concerned. "Are you hurt?" he asked and nodded towards his shirt.
Audric gave him a puzzled look back from where he was sitting, before looking down on himself. Oh, right. The blood. "It's not mine," he said with a shrug and concentrated in his bowl again. Eric looked relieved and wandered off, leaving Audric quite shaken up. Thanks to the fact that he was supposed to be dead now, but instead he was sitting here, feeling very alive. But he wasn't.

Glancing to the side, he could still see the white woman. Immortal. That was what she had said. His eyes wandered through the room while he continued eating, wondering if anyone could see the change in him. And if they did, if they found out, what would they do? Could he even see the change himself? With every passing second, he felt more tense, just waiting for someone to jump him . The people talking in hushed voices over at the corner, were they already planning their attack?

He quickly got up from his seat and put down his half eaten bowl before leaving the room, heading through a doorway and up a small, winding stair, and stepped into a small bathroom. Like the rest of the building, it was worn and dirty - no one really had the time to clean much around here, and no one really cared. They had more important thing to do.

After looking the door, he turned to the mirror and rubbed his sleeve over it a bit before taking a close look at himself. As far as he could tell, there was no difference. His hair was still a black, wavy mess that almost reach his shoulders. His eyes the same dark brown, his body just as slim as ever. Hadn't even gotten a bit taller... All his scars were still there, including the one running across his left cheek, and his nose still showed evidence from being badly broken once. "As handsome as ever," he mumbled to his own reflection, followed by a sigh.

(Ah, a mirror scene. So good...)
 
Even without looking close, it was impossible to miss the black-haired woman who was standing behind his shoulder. Of course, that hadn't stopped Audric from trying, but she was growing somewhat tired of being ignored. It was almost as boring as wandering around, picking up the souls of the dying.

"And now that you are 'home'?"
 
Audric glanced at her in the mirror before turning around. "Yes?" he answered, keeping the answer short and his voice low. Last thing he needed now was for people to hear him talking to himself. "What do you want?" They had made a deal, meaning she wanted something from him. It would be nice to learn what.
 
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"At the moment," she replied, answer almost as straightforward as the one she had just been offered, "Nothing. You can do whatever you please with your immortality, and I'll make sure you stay alive, no matter how bad you fuck up. When I do want something, I'll make sure you know it."
 
"Okay, great, because I'm going to bed," he said and then looked at the door behind her, and then at her again. "Are you a ghost?" he asked and waved a hand at her, wondering if it would just go straight through or what. Since no one else could see her, he assumed she wasn't solid. This was probably just all in his head. He was going crazy.
 
"No such thing as ghosts," she replied, with a strange smile flitting across her lips. "I"m Death. Or, at least, an aspect of it. I'm certainly not the only one." She stepped politely out of the way, strange smile still in place, even though Audric could certainly have walked right through her if he chose. But perhaps it was some lingering trace of the life she had once lived that she didn't like the idea of him inside her body.
 
"That's just creepy," he mumbled when she said she was death herself. Chills went down his back and he shrugged as he stepped out of the small bathroom, and headed down the hall. He ended up in a small room with several beds cramped into it, and crashed down at the one closest to the door. Dying apparently made you very tired, so it only took a few seconds before he was out.
 
They stopped talking at that point. Audric settled back into his life, acting as though he had completely forgotten that his life had already ended once. His silent shadow made no particular effort to alter their relationship, staying out of his way, clinging to shadows in rooms, and watching, ever watching.

Whatever group Audric was a part of, whatever it was they were doing, the slip-up that had lead to Audric's and a man named Paul's death had everyone laying low. For three weeks the entire organization did nothing but hide, waiting for the trouble they had stirred to blow over. And with the lack of action came a corresponding rise in tension. A good number of the people there were there exclusively for the purpose of aiding the organization. Having nothing to do left them raw, uncomfortable, and fights were barely kept under the surface.
 
Audric woke with a soft groan and lifted his hand up to his once again throbbing forehead. "Can't belive I still get hangovers," he mumbled. So far the only positive thing about being immortal was, well, not being dead. Complaining should probably be kept to a minimum then, so the freaky lady didn't change her mind.
"I'm afraid those never stop, no matter how old you get," Eric said.
Audric opened his eyes and stared up at him, realising he must be the source to why he had woken up. "I was sleeping."
"Too bad. I've got some new plans you need to look at," the elder man said with a smirk before leaving the room.
Audric sighed and slowly sat up now that his plans of staying in bed all day was ruined. Probably just as well. Like most of the crew, he was getting restless. Which was why he had been drinking way too much the night before, again.
 
As Audric left the room behind Eric, another silent shadow followed them. If the dark-haired lady had thought anything of Audric's behavior over the past weeks, she certainly didn't say anything of it. All the same, she was more than ready to get out of this building. By this point she had seen every nook and cranny of the dilapidated building, and was starting to get more than a little bored. She didn't have alcohol or interaction to take her mind off of their veritable imprisonment.
 
After getting some clothes on and splashing some water in his face, he made his way down to the common area and grabbed himself a bowl with breakfast before sitting down at Eric's table. "Okay, walk me through it," he said and looked towards the papers covering the table surface. Blueprints over the building and notes about how they were going to execute this mission.
Their goal? One, break into the vault and grab whatever they could, and two, burn every piece of paper with important information that they could find. Preferably those that said who owed them money. Also, avoid killing anyone. A rule Audric had broken during their last mission, but he felt he had the right to. The guy had killed him first.
"Like we assumed, they have more guards now. Luckily they aren't very experienced yet," Eric said and shuffled some papers. "They money is still in the same place, according to our inside man."
"So what are we doing differently this time?" Audric asked.
"Sending in fewer people, our most experiences. Lesser chance of anyone being seen."
"Fewer people against more guards?" Audric sighed and shook his head slightly. "This is crazy. Why aren't we just going for another bank?"
"Because this is the one we got the most information on," Eric answered. "And because they're not getting away with what they did."
Audric swallowed and looked into his bowl. No one had seen any sign of Paul since that day, and if had hadn't been for Death showing up, the group would have lost two men that night. So Audric totally got Eric's need for revenge.
 
Fewer people, more guards, a recipe for disaster in the making. This group shouldn't be reckless, but by the sound of their jobs there was no avoiding it. How long would Audric last before his cohort found out about his newfound immortality? When that happened, would it become one person against all the guards?

She almost wanted it to get to that point. At least it would be more interesting. But boredom did bad things to people, and she had no intention of compromising her one asset. The longer he stayed concealed from the rest of the world, the longer it would be until someone truly dangerous found him.
 
Hours went by as Eric, Audric and a few others discussed the plans in details. Every where, when and how. The who would go which route, who would do what job, and without hesitating, Audric volunteered for the most risky one. Meaning he would be the one entering first and going for the vault, with other people following if he gave the all clear sign.
"Sure you don't want anyone with you?" Eric asked. "Strength in numbers."
"But also higher risk of getting spottet, like you said. I'll be fine, and you'll be right behind me," Audric said and lit himself a smoke. At least that wouldn't kill him anymore.
Eric nodded and then handed out the rest of the positions, and soon they had everything decided and ready.

Next night Audric was back at hiding in the shadows. He stood peeking at the bank from around a corner, waiting for the guard to pass so he could go for the window that was arranged to be unlocked. While he waited, he double checked that he had everything on him. Weapons, rope, bandages, binoculars, a small mirror, and a number of other items that could turn out to be helpful, hidden around on his body in pockets and pouches. Then he glanced over his shoulder to check if she was still there. By now he had gotten so used to her silent presence, that he would probably be worried if she suddenly wasn't there anymore.
 
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