Twin Daggers

[Wryneck]

Twin Daggers
​

The moonlit sky hung over the city like a light blanket of darkness. It was still bustling below, as it always was. The City of Reul was just another city that never slept. Likewise, the two assassins, that currently overlooked this fine city from atop an abandoned building, rarely slept either. The male of the two, Tobias, was standing near the ledge of the building. His gaze seemed to be more on the city below. The female of the two, Trielas, had more of her own focus on the sky above them.

Trielas was one to find the sky very beautiful. She wouldn't mind to be enveloped in its darkness and be one with it, but that would require she leave her brother behind. That wasn't something she planned on doing. She and her brother were particularly close. Perhaps closer than would be acceptable by most of society. This wasn't a matter of society's concern though. Other than their practically dead grandmother, they were alone in this world. The only one they had was each other, and they worked well to support themselves.

The young female approached the ledge and took up a place next to her brother. Only a short gaze and a weak smile were exchanged between the two. They were currently on a job, and there wasn't really any time for dilly-dallying. The target they were searching for was supposed to be arriving in a neighboring building soon. The Hotel Grandè, the largest hotel in town, for some reason residing next to an abandoned building that hadn't been used in years. Granted, this was the old casino. They were next to each other before the hotel had acquired enough money to add a casino inside of itself. Nobody wanted to leave the building to waste their money away on slots. It was much easier to remain inside and do so.

As sure as they were told, the white limousine pierced the darkness that was set over the city and approached the Hotel Grandè. Trielas turned to look at her brother and gave him a nod accompanied with a smile. It was time. One last check for their weaponry was made before they left the ledge and headed towards the hotel. They had received intel prior to their taking off as to which room their target would be staying in. Who was he? A certain Pretzel King CEO that had used too many funds for unofficial work that was frowned upon by the city underground. The twins' mission was to take this man out and ensure that he wouldn't go around disturbing the peace of the underground any further.

Trielas stood on the opposite side of the building and looked into the window of their target's room. It was three windows away from them, and it wouldn't be easy getting to it without being noticed. She motioned for her brother to come nearer and spoke only once he did. "The usual?" she said, a smile across her face. "The Usual" was just her fancy way of saying, "the same as always?" In this case, it meant that she'd be using her grip claws to grip the wall after her brother threw her towards the building. This would seem crazy to most people, but they had a certain level of trust built up between them. The kind of trust that only twins or lovers can possess. After getting herself prepped, she turned to her brother and gave the signal. "Here we go again."

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias watched the hotel for a long time, his light brown eyes holding a hard glint to them. He was more serious in these matters, less prone to fanciful thought and idle distraction than his sister. He would never fault her though. When things needed to get done, he could always rely on her to come through. All thoughts of his normal life, the life he pretended to live, were banished from his mind as he ignored everything except the job and his sister.

His hands came together in front of his body. The fingers of his left hand toyed with a ring on the middle finger of his right, the only outward sign that he was nervous at all. According to the information that his sister and he had received, the mark was running late. His nerves wouldn't settle until he knew things would go like they were planned.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, the limousine arrived at the hotel. Tobias tensed in preparation, returning the nod to Trielas. Tobias knew his part of "The Usual". Find a way to block the target in his room while Trielas waited and then get the rest of the area clear. Sure they were killers, but they weren't heartless enough to want to cause undo harm to others. Just the target, only those in the way.

Tobias moved closer to his sister, adjusting the straps around his left arm. "Same old song again." He bends down, cupping his hands and preparing himself. The overall effect was that nearly ever muscle in his body was tightened in preparation for the throw. As soon as his sister, following a short running start, stepped into his hands he would lean back. Starting with his legs and ending with his hands, every muscle in his body would fire off in order. The end result was a massive boost to the distance she could jump. The move easily sends her flying over to the hotel.

Tobias turns once he launches Trielas, worry in his eyes like there is every time he throws her somewhere. Once he was sure of her safety he made his way out of the abandoned building over to the hotel. It was fairly simple for him to walk in and make his way up to the targets room. Once there he uses a knife to break the lock, leaving it in the locked position so it would take incredible effort to open the door.

"Are you ready? I'll pull the alarm so it will act as a distraction." Tobias whispered softly, but the communication device he and his sister both wore around their necks would pick it up. They had made these themselves, both sets looking like a matching necklace and earring. It was something to set the twins apart more than anything else. He wore his necklace like a choker, flush to the skin, with the earring in his left ear. The hard part, the killing, went to Trielas this mission. All Tobias had to do was pull the fire alarm, or set a small fire, to cause a general panic and exodus of the hotel. The camera's here were already on a loop, showing an empty hall and not him.

 

[Wryneck]

Trielas made her way to the other side of the building and turned towards her brother, who'd readied himself for the launch. A slow breath left her as she relaxed her body, then ran towards his cupped hands. Within an instant, she was in the air, her hands getting ready to grip whatever she could on the neighboring building. It wasn't hard to find something, and she was soon safely over. "At your signal." Ryali gave one last smile before standing by.

Now it was Tobias' turn, and all she had to do was wait. The mission was simple. Trap the target in his room, raise a distraction, and take him out in the confusing chaos that ensued. It wasn't long before she heard a voice through her wearing. A smile spread across her face as she returned the message, her voice speaking in a soft whisper. Hai, hai, Onii-chan." A bit of her Japanese had gotten through, as often happened. Her smile only continued to stay plastered on her face as she pondered how her brother must've responded to that.

Within minutes, she could hear an alarm sounding off. This was her cue. Moving quickly as she could, she opened the window and entered the room. Their target was too busy trying to get through the door to notice her. She giggled at his feeble attempts at freedom, a sole knife finding its way into her left hand. As soon as she was behind him, she grabbed his left hand (which was his dominant one, according to the intel they'd received) and brought it up to his throat, quickly slitting it without any time for response. Trielas made sure to lay the male down as if it was suicide. She climbed back through the window and covered herself over with her cloak to avoid being seen. The window was closed and her way to the abandoned building was made.

"Mission accomplished," the female spoke into the necklace. It was indeed a success, and an easy one at that. Maybe someday, CEOs would start bringing security into their rooms with them. Trielas sat upon the ledge that was positioned towards the back of the abandoned building and waited for her brother to arrive. It wouldn't be too long before he got there, and they'd swiftly be off to meet their customer. She'd hope for a nice meal, as it wasn't so late in the evening that none of the best restaurants were closed.

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias had pulled the fire alarm as soon as Trielas gave him the go ahead. A small smile formed on his lips, the right side lifting up farther than the left to give the impression of a smirk. His sister tended to fall into Japanese when she was excited. He had at one point tried to work with her to get her to get over it, but nothing worked. He had eventually given up, one of the few times in life he had ever admitted defeat.

Tobias joined the general rush of people leaving the hotel. Some were panicking, some were calm. Tobias himself, if anyone noticed, seemed in a daze. He easily weaved through the crowds, picking a few pockets here and there for small things. Once he exits the hotel he turns back to the abandoned building. As he passed the alley between he glanced into it and up, searching for his sister. Though she had a cloak on, he was able to spot her quickly. He lifts a hand up, scratching the back of his head in one of their practiced signals. It simply told her to wait.

He makes his way back into the building and up to the roof. He waves to Trielas once he gets there, smiling a little bit. It was one of the few concessions he would make when working. He had carefully crafted a persona for the work, something he felt was necessary to distance himself from the violence and bloodshed. Once he gets to his sister he stops, showing her the money he had gotten from his pickpocketing. "What do you feel like doing for dinner sis? After we get our payment of course." He looks toward the hotel, hearing sirens in the near distance as police and the fire department came to investigate why the fire alarm had gone off.

 

[Wryneck]

Trielas smiled as her brother appeared on top of the building. His facial expression let her know that he was just as appreciative of their mission's ease as she was. The money that was shown flashed in her eyes, and her smile only widened at the sight. A giggle managed to escape her lips as she stood and went to meet him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into her embrace, and for a short moment, her lips placed themselves upon his in the softest manner before pulling away. The blush that still found its way upon his flushed cheeks still provided her with amusement. "Some fine fish sounds really nice," she spoke, while at the same time slowly pulling away.

She walked over towards the downward staircase and looked out towards the sky once more. "We'll have to collect our payment within 24 hours, or they claim the right to void the contract. Granted, we know we'd get our money either way…" She began the descent towards the building's exit, and her brother was quick to follow. They had a car that was parked a ways away from the building they currently resided in. A nice Mustang, a foreign car. It drove nicely and made them seem like the important people they were. Not that many on the surface knew them. Their popularity was greater in the underground.

Upon reaching the vehicle that would get them to where they were going, Trielas exchanged a glance with Tobias before climbing into the passenger's side. It wasn't long before they were on their way, light music playing on the radio. "Let's head to the restaurant first…" The female looked ahead, her attention focused on the road. She was a bit entranced by it, as she usually was with such things. If something was steadily moving in a pattern, she was almost hypnotized by it. "We can collect our payment in the morning…"

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias had barely managed to put the money back into the pocket of his jacket when he sister threw her arms around him. He started to protest, but the soft touch of her lips on his was enough to blow all thought out of his mind. The blush was only natural, she was doing something without him being able to plan for it. He quickly got himself under control, following after her out of the building.

Once at the car and driving he looked over at her now and then, shaking his head in amusement at her trance-like state. He had always found that habit of hers odd, but he couldn't say much about it. He had his own strange habits. The longer the drive went the more the working mask fell away until he was quietly singing along with the radio whenever a song he knew came on.

After a decent time driving he pulled up to the valet of a fairly high-end restaurant. Tobias and Trielas were well known at this place, it was one of their favorite places to go. The staff never asked how two teenagers were able to afford to eat her so much, or why they almost always paid in cash. The money was good and that was all the mattered. "Table for two please." Tobias smiles at the host, handing the car keys to the valet. "Usual place if you're able."

The host nodded, quickly ushering the two of them to a table in the back area of the restaurant, mostly reserved for special guests. The money the twins had spent got them into this area easily. It was nice and each table was sectioned off, providing some measure of privacy. Tobias sat down, ordering his normal meal and drink without opening the menu.

 

[Wryneck]

The trance the young assassin was under broke as the car came to a stop in front of one of their favorite restaurants. She was a little slow in regaining her composure, but she was right back alongside Tobias within the moment. The slightly older brother (by seconds), was dealing with the staff with the air of a professional businessman. She giggled a bit at this as she greeted them, casual as always. The back line was open for their seating, which was lovely. It was the utmost privacy that the restaurant could provide without semi-annual checks from state security.

She'd taken her seat only moments before the waiter arrived for their order, which was quickly placed. "The grilled fish, please, along with the usual to drink." She'd normally eat something else here, but her appetite was calling out for fish almost as if it were a craving. Her brother seemed to be requesting the same thing as always. It wasn't new, but it was routine. He followed such things very closely. They were some of the things that were almost always guaranteed. In this day and age, a guarantee is something much sought after.

"This place never gets old, no matter how many times we visit it. It almost seems they make it in just such a way that it feels they make everything anew, just for us." Her eyes revealed that she was noting the aesthetics of the restaurant, but more closely, all the fine details that were changed each day. She enjoyed it, as she liked being able to eat someplace "new" every time they came here.

Upon finishing her evaluation of the eatery's present state, she returned her attention towards her brother. "It seems this job went as easily as expected. So..." She dropped for a moment as the waiter approached their table with their beverages. A thanks was given and a watch spared as he walked away. "...will we be going after another mission, or will we rest?" He already knew she was fine with things either way, so it was really up to him.

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias glances around, taking in the reworked interior of the restaurant. He smiles as the waiter takes their orders and leaves. He continues to look around, glancing at his phone now and then. He nods, agreeing with his sister's observations. He tapped his fingers on the table, letting out a short yawn. He was tired, the little rest he had gotten the last few days finally starting to catch up to him.

He shrugs when Trielas asks him the question. "We do have a break from school. So I think we can take a break from work as well. It gives us a chance to relax and gain our strength back." The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. They had been working and going to school for so long that he couldn't remember the last time they had relaxed.

"I'm thinking of a vacation actually. How does that sound to you?" Tobias stops talking when the waiter comes to the table, bringing them their food. He thanks the waiter, taking a bite of his steak. He nods, letting out a sound of appreciation. Once the waiter was sure both of them were happy he leaves. Tobias looks up at Trielas, tilting his head. "How does that sound?"

 

[Wryneck]

Trielas smiled at the thought of a vacation. Her finger was twirling along the edge of the wine glass her beverage of choice was in, and her thoughts were on all the personal time without worry for jobs that she'd have with her brother. Not that she disliked their work. It was always exciting, always a new experience. A break would be nice though. Time for her and her brother to just relax together. Now would be the opportune time, as neither work nor school would impede on their ability to do so. "That sounds like it would be lovely. A break, just for us, away from all the rustle and bustle of the underground."

With their meals having been brought to them, Trielas set about cutting her fish apart. A piece came to her mouth every so often. She was eating slightly faster than what one might consider polite, but when she had a craving, she really had one. Her mind was rambling with ideas about what they should do and where they should go, but most of them wouldn't be possible within a single weekend. She knew Tobias would want a say in the matter, even if he usually left such things up to her.

"Where would you like to go?" she asked, making sure that she'd swallowed her food before speaking. "There's so much to do and so many places to go! It's hard to choose only a few possible ones…" Her mind seemed to wander back into a trance again, but she was quick to snap out of it. She gathered and calmed herself. Her brother hadn't even eaten as much as she had, and she was only rambling away.

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias eats his food in general silence, eating at a much more controlled rate than his sister. He glances up at her once she she mentions liking the idea of a vacation. He only gives her a noncommittal shrug at that. He continued eating, finishing a few minutes later. It was about the time that she came our of her trance, unknown to him.

He pushed his plate a little farther onto the table, wiping the small amount of debris from the meal off his chin with a napkin. He tilts his head, as if thinking. It was a quirk of his, something that kind of made him look like a dog when you talk to it. He tended to tilt his head whenever he thought on something, or when he was listening to someone talk. He taps his fingers on the table, flicking his pointer out now and then as if checking something off.

"How about a cruise sis?" He looks across the table at her. He knew she was just expecting a few days off, but he felt they had earned a longer break than that. "Something that will get us away from here for a week or so?" He had always loved the ocean and swimming. It was something he didn't get to do often, but whenever he got a chance it was hard to keep him from the water.

 

[Wryneck]

Trielas listened to Tobias' suggestion and pondered it for a moment. It was true that they deserved a bit of a longer vacation. It wasn't like school would be going anywhere. With them doing what they are now, and the fact that this is their last year of schooling, they could very well drop out if they wanted to. It was a nice thought, but one that wasn't important right now. They were easily managing everything, and school was their only guise, as of present.

"That seems like it would be really nice." Her mind went to thoughts of swimming, and eating fine food, and watching the fancy shows that they'd always shown on such cruises, and then back to swimming. She blushed a bit at the thought, but slowly shook it out of her mind. "Being able to get out like that could be really good for us. Swimming, and food, and everything else..." Her rambling was cut short as the waiter arrived at their table to take their plates and provide them with the bill.

The bill was paid right away, as usual. They had the money to do so, and they didn't like to take up space at an empty table if they could help it. Trielas gathered her things, a smile still on her face at the thought of a cruise. It was truly a great idea. They'd be able to relax and get away from the hustling and bustling life of an assassin - er, twin assassins. She'd have her brother all to herself without worry for clients that wanted things so precisely and neatly.

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias smiles as Trielas agrees with his idea for a lengthy cruise vacation. He had a feeling that mentioning a cruise would get her to agree with it. She loved the water even more than he did. He didn't know how many times he had caught her after she fell asleep soaking in the bath tub.

As they leave the restaurant, hoping into their car he smiles. "Alright then sis. We'll look into booking something tomorrow, after we get paid." He turns the car onto the road, heading toward their home. "That way we know how long we want to take and the kind of options we want to have when we take the cruise."

Once they reach their home, and he has the car parked in the garage, Tobias steps out, yawning and stretching. It had been a long few weeks for them and it was already pretty late when they went to eat. He pulls his phone out, setting an alarm for early in the morning. It was their normal time to get up and meet their, for lack of a better term, bosses. They would go and get paid in the morning and then return home to relax.

He walks inside, dropping his keys into a bowl beside the door. "Finally!" He hops over the back of the couch, smiling as he takes off his boots. "I almost forgot what home looked like." He turns back to Trielas, a grin across his face. "Wait? Did I have a bed or did I just sleep on the floor?" It was an old joke of his, something he used all the time but never seemed to get tired of.

 

[Wryneck]

Trielas bid her farewells to the restaurant staff and followed her brother out to their car. She vaguely nodded in response to his words. As they began driving, her daze-like trance returned. It always got her, no matter how many times they drove.

She was glad they got home before too long. The drive was beginning to make her a bit dizzy. It had been a long time since they'd been able to come home and relax. Trielas grabbed her things and made her way into the house. Her brother was already removing his boots and seating himself on the couch. Trielas leaned over from the backside of the couch and smiled. "It was the floor," she responded, before using all of her might to push the male off of the couch.

Trielas hoped up onto the couch and grabbed the remote. The television was switched on and the news was displayed. They were already covering the hotel "incident" from earlier that night. Just as planned, the media went right along with it being a suicide. They were clear now, so their payment was guaranteed.

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias grunts as Trielas shoves him to the floor. He gives her a mock glare before he gets up, rubbing his rear where he landed hardest. He picks up Trielas and seats her on the end of the couch. He then moves to the other side and lays down, placing his legs across his sister's lap.

When she turns on the TV and the news comes on, he can't help but smile. He looks at his sister, giving her a short nod that told her he was proud of the work she did. "I don't think I want the floor. I may have to kick you out of your bed if I can't find one for myself." He grins and pokes her side.

He then goes back to watching the news, not really paying much attention as the plans for their vacation began to run through his head. He was trying to decide how long to take and where they wanted to go. If there was a cruise leaving from close to them going to a nice place, or if they would have to fly somewhere else and then meet the cruise.

 

[Wryneck]

Arms crossed over her chest, Trielas mumbled something about an idiot when she found herself being lifted up and placed on the end of the couch. Two feet found their way to resting on her lap. She couldn't help but smile a bit before pushing them down to the floor. "I'm not as much of a foot rest as I look like, baka Onii-chan." Her tongue stuck out towards Tobias before she pulled herself back to the end of the couch. She was smiling, but she knew that she couldn't count this as a victory. Tobias still had the spot in which he was previously sitting.

The news was eventually droned out, and Trielas looked over to her now rather quiet brother. He wasn't saying anything, and looked like he was thinking. Trielas smiled a bit deviously and poked his left leg. "Onii-chan. What are you thinking about?" She scooted a bit closer to him and poked a finger into his fleshy cheek. "You can't think about Tria-chan all the time. Especially when she's right here."

She didn't particularly like referring to herself in the third person, but it was something she didn't mind doing in her attempts to tease her slightly elder brother. Especially when he was the one in a daze like this. God only knows what might be going through his mind, but it was fun to mess around with him. Tonight was a night to relax, not to be serious. Of course, this might be the way her brother decided to relax. Not that she'd be having any of it. She wasn't fond of unchanging silence. Not in a relaxed environment such as this.

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias' eyes flick over to his sister when she starts to talk. He can't help but laugh when she pokes his cheek, teasing him. He grabs her hand and pulls her down to him, grinning. "I wasn't think about you. You're not all the special." He pokes her side to give her a hint that he's joking. He relaxes then, one of his arm wrapped loosely around her body. "I was actually thinking about the vacation."

He stretches his free arm, letting out a tired groan. "Trying to figure out what kind of cruise we want and where we might want to go to." He shrugs, closing his eyes and laying his head back. "I suppose we can look online tomorrow once we get paid." He opens one eye and looks back at her. "Unless you want to kick an idea at me. Just don't actually kick me."

Tobias' grin was easy now, his natural level of humor returned. This was the real him, the one he kept hidden away when he and his sister were on missions. He felt the need to protect himself, so he affected cold and distant demeanor when working. It had helped, the people they worked for took he and Treilas seriously thanks to his image. But at home, he liked to joke around and tease his sister.

 

[Wryneck]

Trielas grunted when Tobias pulled her over, though more from annoyance than pain. "You don't have to be so rough, Onii-chan. Just say it." Her gaze doesn't leave him when she feels a poke in her side, but her devilish smile turns into a more relaxed grin. Brown eyes were suddenly filled with thought at the mention of their vacation.

Trielas' focus shifted to the wall on the far side of the room, ideas for a vacation shifting through her mind. The plan was to get a cruise, but she didn't think they'd be staying somewhere after the cruise. Her brother truly did seem to have intentions on missing out on school for a while. Their attendance records wouldn't survive such a trip, and she knew that Tobias was aware of that. It was true though. They could easily quit going to school now and simply live comfortably as assassins.

"Onii-chan..." she mumbled, thoughts still circulating through her mind. "Hasn't it been a while?" Trielas shifted onto her side and looked at her brother intently. "I want a rush, Onii-chan. I want something to get really excited about, without any plans or anything. Is there something like that out there?" Her eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder and she seemed anxious to come up with something.

 

[V0calStat1c]

Tobias frowns, his arm still draped around Trielas lightly. He tilts his head, thinking over what she was just saying. "A rush? Maybe. I guess we could try backpacking in a country somewhere. Or go to a resort in the mountains and go skiing." He looks up at his sister, his eyes meeting hers. "What do you think we should do?"

Aside from maybe taking a cruise, or going to some kind of resort for a week or two, Tobias didn't really have many ideas on what to do for a vacation. His fingers casually moved up and down Trielas' arm, something that happened when he was thinking and they were alone.

He smiled a bit as his mind took several different paths on what she could mean by 'rush'. Their job was enough of an adrenaline rush in and of itself that is wasn't likely that she meant that. "And it has been awhile Trielas. I'm at your command." A subtle smile and shift of his body told her that he would indeed listen to whatever it was she suggested.

 

[Wryneck]

Trielas let out a sigh. She wanted more than simple backpacking or skiing. Their job was full of action, but it wouldn't always be so fun. She knew it would start lacking eventually. What would they do once it did? Trielas rolled over to her other side. Brown eyes closed in thought about how she could go about satisfying her craving for something exciting.

A smile found its way on her face when she finally came up with an idea. "Onii-chan. We're becoming too good at our job. It won't be long before the fun slowly fades away. The adrenaline will slowly go away once we get too used to it. We'll end up like one of those older assassins. The kind that doesn't make things exciting. I don't want it to turn into something that we just do because it's our job."

The young woman opened her eyes and turned around, both of hers meeting her elder brother's. "I want us to be able to have fun doing what we love for a much longer time. We can't become emotionless killing machines. It's why we have our standards about who we kill." Her eyes closed again, and she was lost to thought once more. "There must be something exciting we can do? Some place that we can go to that's full of excitement; some place that will make it last."

Trielas wrapped her arms around her brother in a light hug, eyes still closed in thought. "We can do such a thing, right? Find a place where we won't get used to things, and the fun won't disappear? After all..." What would they do if they lost their emotions? Would they separate? Would there be any reason for them to stay together? Trielas shook her head. Maybe it was just her anxiousness acting up. She didn't enjoy not moving for a long time.