It's Just an Assassination

"The second you left," Natalie said quietly. So quietly that you could only hear it if you were listening closely. She sighed, rubbing a hand through her hair as if that would help her figure out a solution. It was something she had always done, but it never really did anything to help. It was just a habit she had formed long ago. "I don't want to see you dead and buried, either, and that's exactly what's going to happen if you return empty-handed. I've seen your file. You've never failed a mission, and it won't take them long to figure out that you let me live. I doubt they'll let you off easy for this."

She chuckled but not in a genuine way. It was a short laugh, one that tried to ease the tension but seemed to only make it worse. She wanted to run and hide and cry all at the same time but, instead, she stayed put and clenched her jaw in determination. "Why can't life just be easy sometimes?" she asked herself, looking upwards as if to find answers in the sky. Instead, she was met with nothing but those little sparkling dots she could hardly see.
 
Easily not expecting her answer to be... well, that, it took Maddie a moment to gather herself. All this really did as reinforce her hatred for her parents - they not only effectively ruined her life, but taking her away and deeply affected Natalie's too, something that Madelyn had never really thought of, and as such, seeing her friend like this did hurt. A lot.

"Hey, I have something up my sleeve, relax," she drawled casually, mostly once a plan formed in her mind. "I can save your butt, and still claim to have succeeded, simple really. Just trust me. I... know how to work this out, Nat."
 
Natalie looked at her with eyebrows raised. How exactly was that going to work? She supposed it could, but again--she didn't like to hope in things. "Please, elaborate on your ingenious plan," she replied, her quick sarcasm showing for the first time since they'd "reunited." Knowing that her friend wasn't going to kill her was a comforting thought, allowing her subconscious to relax at least temporarily. Her own mind was reeling at what they could do to get out of this mess. Natalie wasn't stupid, of course, and she knew that there could possibly be a way out of this. But how long would it last? It would at least give them some time, but she doubted any plan they would come up with would last forever.

"Your mother's a cheating whore, right? Does that mean you'll be one, too?" the girl quipped, smirking at Natalie. Natalie narrowed her eyes. "That's a lie!" The girl laughed, as did the other girls standing behind her. They all laughed--but not for long.

"What did you say to her, bitch?" Maddie seemed to come in from nowhere. The question was left unanswered as Maddie punched the girl straight in the face. Natalie stared at her, open-mouthed. The group of girls ran away, scared out of their minds. That was the first time Madeline ever stepped in to protect Natalie, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

((Haha, I hope you like my flashbacks. xD))
 
"I find a girl similar looking to you, kill her, burn her and just say it's you," she shrugged quietly, the talk of what would be a brutal murder of an innocent being second nature - she wasn't one to care much, and if harming an innocent helped the greater cause, she was all for it.

And she was definitely all for hurting someone if it saved Natalie from harm.

Silently gauging her reaction, she knew that her lack of remorse and her lack of a barrier over what brutality she could commit would come as a shock. She had never been a dainty little thing, sure, but assassinations and this sort of easiness of murder wasn't something that could have ever been predicted. "As for a place to stay... you can crash at mine until we find you a safe place, I suppose."

[[ The flashbacks are great, I love them c: ]]
 
Natalie swallowed, staring at her friend. What happened to you? is what her eyes seemed to ask. She shook her head, turning away momentarily. What was she supposed to say? That it was a crazy, sadistic idea? That's exactly what it was, but if she'd been ordered to do such a thing by the CIA--she would have done it without a second's thought. So what was so different now?

She turned back, taking a breath. "Alright, fine. Do what you think must be done. I still don't think it will fool them forever." She stood straight up, not even noticing that her strength was returning. She was still weak, mind you, but she at least didn't have to lean against the wall for support.
 
"Psh, I know it won't last forever. A few months, maybe. Eventually, they'll realise, but hopefully we'll have you somewhere safe before that happens," she mumbled, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes absently, even if the day was no longer that. It was pretty much night time, though any way she could hide the emotion in her eyes, she would do, regardless of how insane she may appear.

Leaping down from the dumpster gracefully, she flicked her lilac hair behind her shoulder, eyed the surrounding area before venturing deeper into the dark, rather frightening alleyway. "Come on, we'll take a shortcut to my apartment, climb up the fire escape-- you should be good at scaling those," she teased, a glittering grin showing as she peered over her shoulder back at her, poking fun at their earlier acquaintance at the hotel. "You really made me chase you-- wait, how's your arm? You must have hurt it when you fell."
 
Natalie, being of the ever-serious persona in these sort of situation, found it difficult to crack a smile at her tease. When she asked her about her arm, she merely shrugged. Which was a dumb decision since it shot pain up and down her left shoulder. "Uh...I think I dislocated it," she said. With the adrenaline now gone, she had time to fully realize just how much the damn injury hurt. "Any experience in putting shoulders back into place?" It was a bit difficult to do it herself, although she would if she absolutely had to.

She still had so many questions--not only about Madeline but about the terrorist cell that had sent her. She'd found out only enough information to make them a tangible and real threat. Everything else was locked away tight, and she never got the chance to even pick the lock. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Her lack of knowledge was frustrating, and it didn't help that she no longer had the resources to stage any further investigations.

So here she was...stuck hiding away like a coward. It wasn't really cowardice, but it felt that way.
 
"It shouldn't be that hard," she murmured as she came to a swift stop, her words hardly a comfort to a pained Natalie as she simply strode over to take her arm. Carefully, of course, as she quietly held it with a thoughtful expression. Distraction was key, and so quickly began to babble to her inanely. From their childhood, to recent good books to read, and to whether she had allergies due to Maddie having a cat-- and whilst she did so, she pushed the arm as hard as she could once finding the angle to her socket. Only when she heard the pop did she realise that she had managed to succeed - it could have easily gone the wrong way, and injured her friend more than was necessary.

Without waiting for any gratitude, se simply turned to head back off - time was of the essence, after all. "Seriously, though. My cat's the only thing I have in my life, so if you have allergies, it could make things awkward."
 
Natalie smirked when she started babbling about random things in an effort to distract her. If anything, it did the opposite. So, when Maddie finally popped her shoulder back into place, it was all she could do not to let out a scream of pain. Letting out a short gasp, she rubbed her shoulder, moving it in circular motions. It didn't hurt nearly as bad, but it would still be sore for several days.

"Seriously, though. My cat's the only thing I have in my life, so if you have allergies, it could make things awkward." Natalie rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. Of course she wasn't allergic. She was one of those rare people that had hardly any allergies at all, but she supposed that wasn't exactly something they talked about even back then.

"No, I'm not allergic at all," she quipped, following Madeline closely. "So...when'd you dye your hair lavender? It used to be dyed a light blue, right? Or perhaps my memory is failing me." For as long as she had known the girl, Maddie had never stuck with any natural colors. Just another one of her...perks.
 
"Light blue. Yeah. Not that my parents liked it. I was a kid, so I shouldn't be allowed to have done it, but since when do I follow the rules?" She murmured, hiding her smile behind her scarf, wrapping it around her neck with a sudden nostalgic sigh.

Nostalgia filled her through mostly talk of her and Natalie's past, their close-bosom friendship they had had, mostly through Natalie's resilience in breaking through Maddie's harsh wall, but there were other bouts of nostalgia hitting her, brought on by her pulling out her scarf. She would never explain or go into that silence that suddenly occurred, and before it could be picked up upon, simply sighed, as indifference as ever, with hands shoved in pockets.

"I dyed my hair about two months back. I always switch it up, keeps my appearance different, keeps me safer... plus I enjoy being a tad alternative," she explained, though knew that was no secret to her former best friend. "...You stuck with your boring natural colours society accepts, huh? I guess when you had that job with the CIA, you couldn't exactly walk in with hair the colour of the sea, huh?"
 
"You know it was never my kind of thing. And you're right. They tend to like operatives to be less...conspicuous." Natalie smiled only slightly, realizing how much she had missed her friend. And here they were again. Not under the best of circumstances, of course, but at least they were together. She'd never trusted anyone with as much as she trusted Madeline. And when Maddie had left...it was like her whole world fell apart. Shaking her head, she let those memories float back to where they belonged. She needed to focus on the task at hand.

"So, out of curiosity, how did you find me?" She had assumed it was Smith that had led Madeline to her, but perhaps she was wrong. Natalie had covered her tracks well but in haste. She could have slipped up. Or perhaps Smith just turned out to be even more of a snake than she originally thought. It seemed everyone she tried to trust besides Maddie ended up stabbing her in the back--sometimes literally. But that was another memory for another day.
 
"Is it wise for me to reveal all my secrets and how I find my targets?" She cooed back at her playfully, fully intending to tell her either way - it was just fun to tease her a little. Maddie hardly had the chance to do such a thing, in years really, so being able to be normal, to tease about with a friend was an opportunity needing to be seized.

"I have my ways, hon," she started, taking a sharp left into a narrow alley adjacent to the main one, undeterred by the now overwhelming darkness, grabbing hold of her friend's hand just to prevent losing her in the shadows. "Firstly, I did my research. When you know where to look, it's easy. Secondly, I had some help. You know that there's some really shady people that you work with who really didn't mind grassing you up to me, hm? Made me mad that he didn't have an ounce of decency to just go selling you out, regardless of who you were because I thought he'd stick by you, but meh, made my job easier really."
 
"Yeah, I'm fully aware of that particular problem. One of 'em is lying dead in the hotel room I'd planned on sleeping in tonight. But, ya know, plans change," Natalie said with a shrug, looking around through the pitch blackness. It was taking several moments for her eyes to properly adjust, so she was glad to have Madeline's hand guiding her. Otherwise she would probably trip and land straight on her face. Now wouldn't that be embarrassing.

"Why do you think I didn't stick with the CIA? It's because I recently found out that they have moles practically everywhere, so of course they would have one within the intelligence agency of the world's gun-wielding power." She really should have guessed that beforehand but, as said before, she had put almost all her trust in Smith. He'd played his cards well and fooled everyone around him.

"Well, I guess I can't really say I'm not glad you did your job well enough to find me. 'Course you could have killed me before you got the chance to find out who I was. Then you'd be in that little moral predicament. And I'd probably be in some form of Hell." That was Natalie for you. Always serious with just a tad bit of sarcasm mixed in the pot.
 
"Yeah, well, I could have if you hadn't run so damn fast," she reminded, grimacing at the recollection of annoyance she had felt earlier on at the cat-and-mouse chase they had been involved in. "It's good in a way, really. If you were slower, and I just shot you once catching up to you, I think I'd be distraught once I realised."

Finally tugging her friend up the fire stairwell once realising that it was linked to her apartment, scaling the steps with sudden exhaustion, only now letting the tiredness hit her once recognising she was only a minute away from being able to collapse in bed with a large glass of wine. Clambering in through her window once easily unpicking the lock -simple to do given her job-, and once inside, moved through to turn on the light to reveal a surprisingly swish home - it wasn't in the nicest of neighbourhoods, but that didn't mean she had to live as such. Art hung off the walls, the white leather sofa a symbol of her clear wealth, though not overly so that it was pretentious - in short, her home was a reflection of her money, but remained a homely vibe to it, particularly with her fluffed up, white cat lounging nearby on the mound of red pillows.

What was obvious, though, was the fact this couldn't possibly be a home for one. It was too... decorated, too filled with bits and pieces to accommodate only one person living alone with a cat. Though she neglected to mention anything about that, simply moving to hang her trench coat up tiredly. "Are you hungry at all?"
 
Natalie was rather surprised to find Maddie's apartment so...decorated. Pictures, lush coaches, and more. She must be paid pretty damn well to be able to afford it all. Sighing, she looked at Madeline, wondering if she had anyone else other than her cat. Her friend had always been strangely beautiful, so it certainly wouldn't surprise Natalie.

"Are you hungry at all?" It seemed her stomach had just been waiting for that question as it growled in response. "Yeah, I suppose so," she said with a shrug, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. She didn't know what to do or even how to handle this entire situation. She was--or rather, used to be--an operative for the CIA. Madeline was a freaking assassin. Natalie wanted to trust her, but how could she? How could she ever completely trust a woman whose sole job was to lie and kill?

((Apologies for taking so damn long to reply. Creative energy was gone. Hope this post isn't too pathetic. xD))
 
Unaware of the other's slight wariness of her, her still evident distrust, Maddie did grin over at her happily at the sound of her agreeing to wanting something to eat, mostly because the girl had cooked up spaghetti and meatballs the previous day in a rather large pot, and with still half left, she could always warm it up.

Spaghetti had always been her favourite, and on many occasions when she had brought Natalie home to her house as children, she had always begged her mother (or more like demand her) to make spaghetti especially for the two of them. As such, it was sort of their special thing, and the fact she actually had some now, with Natalie in her home, was a delightful coincidence, immediately humming as she moved to reheat the food in the pot, her hips swaying a little in happiness. It was rare, seeing her happy, but in her own home, with her old friend and with spaghetti cooking, it was hard not to crack a smile.

"Put the TV on, if you want. Get comfortable," she tutted, moving to lean on the doorframe to see Natalie still stood rather awkwardly in the swish living room. "Nat, you don't need to tip toe around. We're friends, and I'm not gonna kill you. So exhale, smile and just... try to enjoy the fact you're safe for the moment? I intend on helping you, and you need the allies, so... just relax, hon."

[[Hey, no worries, creative block happens to the best of us c: Just take your time, no rush c: ]]​
 
Natalie pursed her lips. She'd never been one to relax...ever. Why would she relax now? Sighing, she moved to sit on the surprisingly comfortable couch and turned the TV on. News channels were talking about the latest hurricane that ravaged the east coast. Sometimes she wished she'd just be swept up by something like that. Then she could just move on to whatever was next and not worry about this damn life.

But what was the point in that sort of thinking? It wouldn't get her anywhere, and Natalie wasn't the kind of person to give up so easily. She had never and would never take the easy way out. Deep down, she liked the thrill of the challenge. Not so much the impending doom and possible death part, but the challenge of the situation in general. Many would find her to be a rather strange girl, and she really was.

Flipping through the channels, she stopped on an episode of The Walking Dead. It was just a re-run she'd already seen, but it was better than listening to newscasters talk about a hurricane.

((Sorry for taking so long to give you this horrible post xD I'll try to come up with something more plot-moving next time.))
 
Finally satisfied the other wasn't awkwardly standing around, and was actually sitting down now in front of the TV, Maddie quietly returned to her cooking. She couldn't exactly diffuse the fact that this was strange - the assassin and the target preparing to have dinner together and relax contently in one another's company. Though not all assassins and targets were former childhood friends; best friends, really.

Sighing to herself as she stood over the saucepan to stir the pasta quietly, her lips did somewhat purse at the knowledge that, maybe in weeks or months (or worse, days), they would be found out and punishment would presume. Maddie would be punished for insolence, and Natalie would just have another assassin on her tail who wasn't closely bonded to her. In short, they didn't have that long to form a plan, for it could be any day that they were found out, and Maddie realised to be harbouring her target from danger.

What did complicate matters considerably was the fact the apartment wasn't all hers, its homeyness and plethora of ornaments in too much quantity to satisfy a single person being evidence of this, that of which Natalie had already stumbled upon. No, Madeline, despite her personality preferring loneliness, did share the apartment with someone.

Where the complication would come from was the fact this apartment-sharer was a fellow assassin, and knowing that this person would arrive back from a mission in the middle of the night did mean Madeline had to either swear him to secrecy, as friends, or choose to hide Natalie as best she could.

After thinking it over, she, stupidly or not, opted for the latter, and forced a smile as she trailed into the living room with bowls of pasta and a bottle of wine for them both. "Here, tuck in. It should be nice," she smiled, seemingly refusing to let the other in on the fact she didn't live alone, despite what she had earlier said. It wasn't just her and her cat, but it was best to keep her old friend in the dark, lest she may just choose to run and keep running, rather than stay and form a plan alongside Madeline.

[[Nah, it's fine! I struggle constantly with things like that, so you're not alone there c: ]]​
 
Natalie smiled, her stomach automatically growling as she took in the smell of the food. "Thank you, Maddie," she said politely, taking a sip of the wine tentatively. She had a slight distaste for some wines, but this particular wine seemed to be fine.

"I can see that your occupation has served you well, though I'm surprised you just so happen to have such a lavish apartment in the same city I tried to run to. Do you not move around a lot?" She certainly did, especially now. Natalie once again looked around, a strange feeling blossoming within her. It just didn't quite feel like a place for only one person--but was it possible that she was living with someone else. She felt almost jealous over this, though she couldn't be sure why. It wasn't a romantic sort of jealousy--rather, it was that sort of jealousy you feel over the closest friend you had ever had.

((Terrible sorry for the long wait!!))
 
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"Oh, this is my main home. If I have a mission somewhere, I just rent. I... earn a decent amount," she said slowly, both to ensure she didn't blab on the fact she only had to pay half for the grand apartment, and to protect just how much she did earn - it was something she didn't want to brag about, and she never had been someone to show off about her achievements. If she was, she would probably rave on about it now.

Settling down with the food, she tucked in easily enough, not minding her cooking - to her, it wasn't the best, but it was decent enough to enjoy. All the same, she was somewhat on edge. The usually calm, cold and collected girl was constantly checking the time and peering at the door in fear her friend would just trail in, even if the mission, he said, should take him up until midnight. Nevertheless, it was a worrying moment, but one Madeline was determined not to let her best friend in, and risk her panicking and taking a leave.

That was literally the last thing that she wanted - having Natalie back in her life did fill her with a surprisingly, and seldom warmth, and she didn't want to let that go just yet. "...So, ah... I know I've said it, but I've missed you, and... I intend on helping you even if it costs me my reputation and whatnot."

[[ Hey, no worries whatsoever, creative blocks just suck -_-' ]]​
 
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