{1x1} Somewhere in the Dark {Sam x Silent} {O}

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Story

In the major city of Sena, the centre of trade and economy, there are a lot of folk that others want out of the way. And like anything else, this sort of thing eventually attracts businesses eager to do the job for you - as long as you pay them enough.


Two powerful clans, Silens Nex and Woodbaine, have long been considered among the top assassin clans in Sena. There have been challenges to their position before, but nothing that couldn’t be handled. And so the rivalry between the two clans has grown to astronomical proportions – whatever one does, the other feels it must do, and do better. And most other clans, particularly new clans, feel the urge to prove their worth by defeating one or both of them. Of course, by ‘defeat’, they mean ‘kill’: one or preferably more of the clans’ favoured assassins. What better way to get rid of a rival than to destroy their assets, after all?


When two different people take out a contract on the same man, one with each clan, each clan leader calls upon one of their most trusted assassins to deal with it. These particular two are among the best that the clans have to offer, and thus their rivalry is second only to that of the clan leaders themselves. Each accepts the contract with the intention of outperforming the other and proving, once and for all, their clan’s innate superiority.


Yet a third clan, Kruorin Metus – once the most feared and powerful clan of all – has arisen again under new leadership after several years of silent obscurity, and has decided that it is time to regain its place at the top.


First task on its list? The elimination of these upstart guilds that have dared to fill the place left by its absence.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Skeleton

I'll just assume we all know the basic rules here - no breaking TOS, etc - and all the basic rules for 1X1. smile Please don't prove me wrong!

[align=center][color=COLOR]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Guild:[/b]
[b]Preferred Alias:[/b] (One to three, all good!)
[b]Age:[/b] (Between 20 and 30, maybe? Need time to get as good as they are!)
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Preferred Weapons:[/b] (Assuming they know the use of several, but have maybe two or three favourites?)
[b]Persona:[/b] (Not too detailed. Just some basics, I guess.)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (Linksplz. :) )
[b]Other:[/b]
[/color][/align]

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Characters

Silent's Character:

Name: Savanna Mason
Guild: Silens Nex, but she just calls it Home.
Preferred Alias: Delilah Grey, and among the other Silenii, she’s called Nightingale.
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Preferred Weapons: Savanna prefers to get right up close and personal. Thus, though she knows bow and sword work, her favourite weapons include daggers, garrotte wire, and poison.
Persona: She’s calm, calculating and just a little bit mean when working, willing to wait as long as she has to to make sure she gets the job done right the first time – no botch jobs here. Ever. She has just the slightest of competitive streaks, and she’ll never let any competitor from Woodbaine get in her way. Though she’s smart and knows how to look after herself, she tends to daydream – on her own time, of course. Always on her own time.
Appearance: Savanna
Other: True to her ‘nickname’, Savanna sings quite nicely when she’s so inclined. She has one particular tune that she hums during a killing that’s come to be known as her signature song.

Sam's Character:

Name: Kaleb Lenox
Guild: Woodbaine
Preferred Alias: He typically is called Caine by a majority of people.
Age: Twenty-five
Gender: Male
Preferred Weapons: Kaleb can use either bows or throwing knives for long range. His favourite weapons include the Notched Cinquedea, the Schiavona, and poison needles.
Persona: Kaleb is typically laid back, and not at all strict. He acts as though he only cares about getting his work done, but he does take much care in making sure it's done perfectly and all according to plan. It seems like it's hard to anger Kaleb, but if you push the right buttons he can get a little cold and stubborn. He hates having his pride hurt, which is why he acts easy going (and sometimes it's not even an act) in order to make it seem like he doesn't care if he's insulted. Kaleb enjoys to smile and doesn't mind a little humour in his life, and while he can get a little competitive, trying to outdo those from Silens Nex, he doesn't show how much he cares about being better. When things seriously don't go his way, Kaleb will either pretend to not care (while on the inside he's extremely frustrated), or he will outwardly show his frustration. It depends on the situation when it comes to his reactions.
Appearance: Kaleb.
Other: Kaleb enjoys climbing and can climb anything as long as he has even the tiniest of ledges or grooves to use for support.

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Reserved

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Reserved

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Open!))

Savanna looked up into her leader's eyes, from where he stood to one side of his window - avoiding any possible assassination attempts from behind while he spoke to her. It was a custom of Silens Nex; those who wished to ascend a level had to kill the one holding that position. Savanna had no interest in taking the leadership role, and she knew the one facing her knew it, but precautions still had to be taken.

She was good, one of his best, and one never knew when or if she might change her mind about wanting to take over.

Duces, as was the only name he went by at Home, nodded towards the sheet of parchment on the table. "You understand the assignment." It was not a question. Savanna would not hold the position she did if she could not understand such a basic assignment.

She only nodded, quiet as ever in the presence of one of the few men she truly respected. Before picking up the parchment, she inspected it thoroughly for signs of poison treatments or other dangers. Satisfied that there were none, she still took the precaution of covering her hands with her sleeves when she picked it up. Her eyes narrowed at the faint dusting of powder on the inside of the sheet once it was unrolled.

Saying nothing, she walked to the small fire in his grate and dropped the parchment onto it.

She didn't have to look at Duces' eyes to know he was both approving and amused.

With a brief nod, she went out. First she had to dispose of this shirt - gods only knew what that stuff had been. Then she had to get her vials ready, a process that took very little time, and then...

And then it was time to go, to carry out her contract, and to end the life of one Maximilius Grogoscin.

((OOC: This can either be the guy in question, or just some random contract before they get contracted for the guy in question. >.>))

 

[yummeh-applesauces]

((Let's warm up with random contracts, I guess~))

"It's alright, you know me. I'll get this done before you'll even miss me~" Kaleb assured the leader of Woodbaine, Mairead, with a gentle smile. He was leaning casually against the wall near the table Mairead was going through contracts at. An important contract had been given to the guild's top assassin. Kaleb was to kill a menace to society, known as Damien Ashebrook. A previous member of Woodbaine had failed to kill this menace, and as a result, his name would forever be stained, and he would be forever shamed by his fellow guild members. Mairead had decided to hand this contract over to someone more capable of such a task; for, luckily, the mistakes of the previous assassin were not too drastic. These assassins couldn't afford mistakes. Kaleb often found himself working more than usual because of this. They needed the best to complete these tasks, for most of the other assassins weren't as capable. Much of them were still learning, and they had the potential to be very dangerous. However, for now, they would have to continue to work at it before they would rise to the top.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Mairead responded simply, waving Kaleb off before returning to more of his papers. Kaleb saluted his boss before leaving the room to make his way to his own room, in order to equip himself with what he needed. This typically involved his sword, dagger, needles, and either his bow and arrows or his throwing knives. For this day, Kaleb chose to take the throwing knives. He only preferred using poison needles to make things interesting. Poison could prove to be an amusing effect to watch when one had the time. Either it would slowly kill the person, and they would simply foam at the mouth, collapse, and, of course, die; or, the person could grow delirious and have a fit of sorts before collapsing to the ground, dead. Kaleb only used to poison for special needs, or to create a diversion. As for the needles-- what better way to inject the poison than through throwing a needle at them, or stabbing them with it, puncturing the skin and allowing the poison to flow into their body?

After gathering his things and making sure Kaleb was more than prepared to fufil his contract, the male left the guild's headquarters of sorts, and began to plan out his method of kill. Based on the stories he'd heard from others, Damien was almost always went out for a drink at this time of day. What Kaleb had heard had been based off of what others had said about the previous failure. Word spread quickly for those from Woodbaine, and missing out on any piece of information was extremely difficult to do. It was hard to keep a secret from anybody. Kaleb was at a bit of an advantage, because somebody had already attempted to kill the man before. The only way Kaleb was at a disadvantage was the fact that Damien was more aware that somebody was out for his life than he had been before. The man would be more paranoid, and more alert. Still, that was nothing Kaleb couldn't handle.

((Ah, I forgot to ask. Will this be in a town or city? Or a village? I don't really care, whatever you saw in your head for this is okay for me~))

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Probably the big city I mentioned in the opening, if that works for you. smile Also, I was wondering - should Kaleb and Savanna know each other by sight, or just know of each other?))

Savanna took her time gathering her instruments. According to the new paper - that was, the one she'd taken time to get from their records - this was a straight kill, no questions that needed to be asked, no information that needed to be gained. Not that she didn't know how to do that, but it meant that none of her...'special' instruments would be required. She would not need to torture this man for what he knew, which made life easier for her. No need to find a special, private place so that he could scream, no need for transport, no need to make sure that he wasn't lying.

Just a straight elimination.

So she took only the basics with her - her daggers, her silvery wire twisted around her wrist to look like a bracelet, two vials of milked poison. She kept snakes around her quarters at the Guild. They not only kept her room free of other assassins, but their poison was quite useful in work.

It took her only a few seconds to treat the daggers with the poison - a vanity, but she liked it. Sheathing them under her dress, she slipped out of her room and into the evening sunlight.

She was not dressed to blend in - dress in bold red, hair falling loose, generally prettied up. That was the idea. Grogoscin was an old man; he was nearly sixty. But he liked women about her age, and Savanna was perfectly willing to do whatever it took to get in where she needed to be.

He took a drink nearly every day, and was at his usual tavern for at least three hours. But he'd be leaving early today. She would see to it.

And it didn't matter if she was remembered - indeed, she had taken trouble to ensure she would be. She'd taken the extra time to make herself look subtly different. By the time the hue and cry went out after her, "Carina Wren" would already be gone.

She walked into the tavern, flashed the bartender a smile - she wanted Carina Wren to be remembered - and zeroed in on her target.

Showtime.  

[yummeh-applesauces]

((WOW. Very first sentence too. My bad. xDD This is also assuming... were you thinking modern times? If not, I'll get rid of the bike, lulz.

Hrm... I would guess that they might have crossed paths at least once before, possibly more. I like the idea of them knowing each other by sight.))

Kaleb mounted on his motorbike and immediately sped off toward the tavern. If he moved at this rate, he'd be able to catch Damien before he even entered the bar. Due to the unfortunate circumstances, Kaleb had to be subtle about this kill. The previous assassin hadn't been as subtle and wasn't even able to kill the man. He had taken risks and none of them had paid off-- only in failure and shame. Of course, they couldn't even wait a week for Damien to let his guard down again. The man who had issued the contract was growing impatient already. Damien should have been dead yesterday. Fortunately, this man should not expect someone to finish the deed this quickly. While he will be cautious and aware, he will not even think to expect someone attacking him so soon after the first attempt. This was an advantage for Kaleb, but even if the man was surrounded by several bodyguards, he wouldn't have had any trouble taking the man out anyway. Kaleb wasn't like the other assassins, of course. He was far more skilled and experienced. He could kill a man considered to be safe within the tightest of security. Kaleb could always find a way.

Kaleb parked his motorbike at the corner of the street in which the tavern was located on. Because of how subtle he had to be, Kaleb dressed to blend in with the crowd, or the colour he had dressed in was what was blending in at the very least. He wore black jeans and black long-sleeved under armour, which was topped by a grey t-shirt, which was only a little baggy. Kaleb wore gloves, of course, to keep his fingerprints away-- though, his name was technically erased from society. You couldn't find his birth certificate anywhere. It was as though he never existed. His dirty blonde hair had been cut a week ago, and it no longer looked like a mop. This was a good thing because he was sure that people would have frowned upon his hair style before.

Sitting with his motorbike was an instrument case. He typically used this to hide a majority of his weapons. Briefly he checked around to make sure there were no wandering eyes and then opened it a crack, pulling out a pouch containing ten throwing knives and another pouch filled with poison needles. Then he pulled out his dagger, sitting easily inside its sheath, and tied each onto parts of his belt, letting his t-shirt flow over them to make it appear as though he wasn't equipped with a weapon. Hastily he locked his case and hung it around the handles of his bike, and stood straighter, beginning to make his way toward the tavern.

And, there he was. Kaleb grinned as he saw the man he was looking for walk around the corner of the tavern, making his way toward the entrance. Target sighted. "There you are, Mister Damien~" he hummed quietly, casually making his way toward the entrance as well. Damien was only in his forties, and he still looked rather young for that age. At a first glance he appeared calm, though Kaleb could see, even from behind, that he was alert and concerned for anybody ready to take his life. It was clear with the way the man walked. Kaleb smirked. This man was foolish to not have hired anybody to protect him. This would be his easiest kill yet. How could the previous assassin have such a difficult time? That assassin had been dead weight, it had been decided so, and he had been released shortly after his failure. By released, of course, that meant terminated-- which meant death. He'd known far too much, and they couldn't risk him going out into the world with chances of him giving their secrets away.

Kaleb continued forward in long strides until he was a couple feet behind Damien, and from there he walked at the same pace Damien did. He wasn't directly behind him, but was behind him diagonally. If Damien were to look back and see someone right behind him, it would look suspicious. And, Damien seemed to be looking behind him quite a bit. Kaleb timed this carefully, so he could strike at the moment when Damien wasn't looking. He pulled a needle out of his pouch and his it behind his hand so it wouldn't stand out obviously. It was a rather long needle, after all. Kaleb counted slowly to five, and Damien looked behind him once again. They were right in front of the tavern's entrance now. When Damien finally turned his head to the front, they were entering the tavern. It was a little crowded, and nobody was watching. "Bye, Mister Damien~" he whispered in a sing-song tone, smiling cheerfully as he saw the man flinch. Just as he was about to turn around, Kaleb plunged the needle into the man's neck, where a vein was, and waited a moment for the poison to spread. Once Kaleb was satisfied, he pulled the needle out and stepped back, watching with an amused glint in his eyes as Damien put on a scene. Kaleb carefully put the needle in a transparent bag-- he'd give that to the man who issued the contract later. As people crowded around Damien, who seemed to be delirious at the moment, it appeared that nobody had seen Kaleb inject the poison in the first place. Damien's arms began flailing about, smacking anyone who had accidentally gotten too close. Kaleb continued to casually step back, frowning as he spotted a certain woman in red- but he wasn't going to worry about her yet- until Damien finally dropped dead to the floor. From there, Kaleb finally turned and all too casually stepped out of the building, walking back to his motorbike with a hidden smile. Mission complete.

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Well, I was sort of picturing more medieval times, but you know what, we can make it a kind of parallel modern world where we have motorbikes and cell phones but not guns. razz ))

Savanna was already deep in conversation with her target by the time Kaleb dropped his. Soft laughter and the occasional light touch punctuated the words - flirtation and seduction were as much a part of Savanna's arsenal as her daggers. She was an attractive woman. She knew it, and she used it without shame. It opened doors for her that would have taken a great deal longer to work around otherwise.

As she'd figured, Grogoscin was flattered by her interest. Well, why shouldn't he be? He was a strong man, dark and brutal-looking - far more the stereotypical assassin than Savanna. But he was nothing so...exotic. Simply an import-export businessman who had gotten into the wrong set of people and started importing the wrong valuables - stepping on a lot of toes, and eventually bringing this contract on his head. But despite his powerful frame, he was older and starting to look it. Having a young woman so obviously interested was an immense boost to the ego, especially with his friends around so that he could introduce "Carina" to them.

Savanna knew all about manipulating the ego.

At last, laughing, she rose smoothly to her feet, touching his shoulder. There would be no need for her daggers here - the poison was already in the drink he had just downed. It was brutal and fast-acting, so she needed to slip away now. "But of course," she said, her voice as subtly changed as her face. It was higher-pitched, more giggly - the very auditory image of the empty-headed pretty girl she was pretending to be. "I'd love to. Does next week sound all right to you?" She winked at him when he gave her that s**t-eating grin, and strode away to the entrance of the bar.

And she was the only one who knew that he'd never live to finish up the plans for that meeting.

Hearing the choking and gurgling behind her begin, she turned to look - subtly, barely noticeable. He was turning purple, beginning to convulse as he gasped for air. When he fell off his chair and began twitching and twisting around, she watched until he stilled. Then she slipped out the door, everyone so caught up in the two deaths (she had noticed the other man's death dance in an absent sort of way) that she wasn't even noticed.

Humming a soft snatch of song under her breath - her signature song; kind of a ritual after a death even if she was the only one to hear it - she flung back her dark hair and headed towards a nearby alleyway. In the 'purse' she'd brought to the tavern, aside from her mini-arsenal, there was a change of clothes and a few cloths to remove the image-altering makeup before she went too far - she had no intention of remaining Carina Wren any longer than she had to. As she went towards the alley mouth, she spotted a familiar motorbike on the corner of the street.

Her eyes narrowed, but she went into the alleyway instead. Approximately twenty seconds later a woman who was entirely different to the average observer walked back out. The long dark hair was now pulled back into a careless tail, the makeup was gone, and the red dress had been replaced with a simple pale-green top and black pants.

She could be Savanna now, because she was off assignment.

Walking in the direction of the motorbike on her way back Home, she noted the blonde man in black. Though her shoulders tensed a little bit, she refused to so much as glance his way. She was a competitive soul, and it galled her to know that he was considered as good in his way as she was in hers.

She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of acknowledgement.

Instead, she pulled her cell out of her pocket. She dialed a number, waited while a recorded message answered. Smiling into the phone, she said lightly, "You can tell him it's all done. I'll be back shortly."

An innocent-enough sounding message. She could have been a woman calling to tell someone she'd finished the shopping.

An elementary precaution.  

[yummeh-applesauces]

((Hahaha, okay! I like that idea~ In all honesty, I did picture medieval times at first... but I seriously like motorbikes, sooooo~))

That had gone very, very well. It made Kaleb wonder what the late assassin whom had failed the task beforehand had done to mess up so horribly. He must have done something incredibly stupid, such as make himself known to everybody that he was an assassin, and by the time he'd come close to where Damien had once been, the man had fled. If that boy had done something so foolish, then it was quite clear that the assassin truly did need to be released. What a pity. Kaleb sighed quietly, pulling his instrument case back out as soon as he had reached his bike and piling all of his things carefully and neatly into the case, before locking it again and putting the strap to the case securely over his shoulder and mounting his bike. Now it was time to head back to their headquarters, hand Mairead the transparent bag that had the needle and the blood that had been drawn with it-- proof of Kaleb's success. Mairead would take the proof and hand it to the man who had issued the contract, in exchange for the payment for the death of this man. That was the typical routine.

As Kaleb turned the bike around, to prepare to return to base, as he'd sometimes shorten the term "headquarters" to, he caught a glimpse of a female in green and black walking out of the alleyway. Oh, he knew who she was. She was more familiar looking like this than she had been in the tavern. Savanna of Silens Nex. What a coincidence it had been, for both of their targets to share the same tavern. Of course, this had happened on more than one occasion, for men and taverns seemed to be a common thing, but it didn't happen all too often. It had been quite some time since the last time Kaleb had seen this rival assassin, let alone any assassin from a rival clan.

Kaleb allowed a small smile on his face as he briefly watched the female deliberately choose to ignore him, and then pull out her phone. How much time left did he have to kill? Plenty. This assassination had gone so perfectly that he wasn't expected to return in another few hours-- still, he decided he might as well give them a call, anyway. Kaleb moved the bike without the engine running with his feet, growing tired of sitting there as he used speed-dial to contact Mairead. As he waited for his boss to finally answer the phone, Kaleb ran a quick hand through his short, dirty blonde hair, sighing heavily. He missed his mop. At least it'd grow back eventually. Kaleb grinned cheerfully when his boss answered, and the first thing his boss had demanded of him was how the assassination went. You only called them if you were in trouble (which only happened rarely) or if you were finished with your assassination-- either you killed your target or you didn't, but once you called him, you were done for the day. "Perfectly," Kaleb responded easily, preparing to start up the bike. "I'll be back soon. Or do you want me to see him for you? It'll prevent you from heading out." On the other end, Kaleb heard Mairead considering this, but only before clarifying that Kaleb wouldn't take any cash for himself. Kaleb chuckled lightly, rolling his eyes. "You know me; not that stupid~" he responded simply. With a grin he bid his boss a farewell (of course, he did so after getting the okay from his boss to visit the man who had issued the contract in the first place), and shoved his phone in his pocket, starting up the bike and beginning to ride forward.

For a moment, Kaleb considered paying the girl a visit. He always did enjoy messing with the competition. It was more of a rivalry than anything else, and it wasn't like both guilds were participating for a cash prize. Simply, each guild thought they were much better than the other-- stronger, more powerful, and they both thought that their way of doing things was more efficient. While most assassins didn't want to even recognise each other, Kaleb found fun in approaching them, and sometimes antagonising them, depending on how he felt that day. Today, he felt pretty good. He wouldn't immediately start antagonising the first rival of his he saw, but if it came around, he wouldn't be afraid to do so. He was a pretty friendly guy-- but those Silens Nex people often took his friendliness the wrong way. How boring.

Kaleb laughed lightly to himself and sped forward to catch up to the girl, and slowed to a stop before he rammed straight into her or anything. Although, he was technically on the road, while she was to the side. He'd have to actually move to the side of the road in order to actually hit her, and he would have had to have every intention of hitting her in order to do so. "Hey there!" he greeted cheerfully, as though he knew her and actually was fond of her-- which wasn't the case at all. "So, you look satisfied~" he mused, grinning. "Of course, I might look it too, if I was in your position, flirting with a guy a little less than forty years older than you." His engine was humming quietly, now that he moving rather slowly. Kaleb continued to grin, only barely looking as though he was even the slightest bit sympathetic for the girl. If anything, he was mocking her in a subtle manner.

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Perrrrfect. biggrin ))

Savanna folded her cell phone shut with a slow, deliberate movement. She gazed down at it very steadily for a few seconds, as though debating whether or not she ought to toss it into the garbage. Cell phones could be tracked, after all - and it was only a temp. She usually tossed temps when she was done with them. In the end, though, she tucked it back into her pocket. She was entirely unsuspected at the moment, after all.

As she would remain. There was no connection between Savanna Mason and Maximilius Grogoscin. No reason for anyone to look at her in it. So she smiled a little bit and left her worries - not unusual after a contract that went this smoothly - behind. Her job was done, and she was leaving all concerns and disturbances with it.

Her head tilted a little when she heard the rumble of the motorbike behind her. Oh, well now. Was little Kaleb from Woodbaine coming to pay her a visit? A slow smirk touched her lips, though she kept her back to him. If he wanted to play, she'd destroy him.

Nothing personal or anything. And that kind of thing was only a lie to herself. It was personal. He pissed her off - something about how he was always so at ease. It bugged her. And there wasn't really much she could do about it. So she merely kept her back to him and continued walking until he actually spoke to her.

Casually, she turned to glance back at him. "Hello, love," she responded, her voice carrying equal parts quiet mockery and easy amusement. Although she noticed that he was slowing down as though to keep pace with her, she didn't comment on it. Her lips curved slightly. "I'm always satisfied with...a job well done." At his next words, she raised a brow gracefully. "What's the matter, Kaleb? Jealous?" She managed to infuse his name with a world of scorn and laughter all at once.

To be honest, she was a little bit surprised. She'd had no idea he'd known her age. She knew his, of course - she knew most everything there was to know about him. But only insofar as she could use the knowledge to get ahead. She had to know her -- not enemy, not really. Her rival, definitely. But as much as he pissed her off, she didn't want to kill him.

Most of the time.

So she pushed back her long ponytail, flashing him a cool smile. "Well, it's been lovely chatting with you, but some of us have real work to do."

Dismissing him coolly, she walked away, heading back towards Home. She'd take a few side alleys on the way, she calculated - ditch him. Home was a place kept solely for the Silenii. No member from Woodbaine could be allowed near it.  

[yummeh-applesauces]

((:3 Thanks!))

Kaleb turned his head slightly to face her, observing her for any sort of reaction that could amuse him. She typically had quite the poker face. She was good at hiding true emotions, as a good assassin should be. Yeah, he was man enough to say that she was a good assassin. If she sucked, they wouldn't even be having this discussion, albeit a rather short exchange. Kaleb didn't waste time on the dead weight or the new guys. When he took an interest in them-- that's when he'd communicate. But, for now, his main rival/threat/whatever you wanted to call her was Savanna. She was the one that interested him most. So he had no problem approaching her like this.

He smiled easily, looking rather amused. It had appeared, for the moment, that she was trying to ignore him or not acknowledge his presence for a little while-- at least, until he had actually spoken. Kaleb saw the smirk on her face. Playing it cool now, are we, Miss Savanna? he mused silently, his own easy smile never faltering. He hummed softly as he patiently awaited her reply, and then he chose to respond once again himself. "Well, I'm glad. If the job hadn't been well done, you wouldn't be so high and mighty~" he chirped in a mock cheerful tone. He rolled his shoulders around slightly, satisfied with the cracks he heard from his joints. Kaleb's smiled brightened as Savanna continued to speak, hearing the scorn and amusement in her voice as she spoke his name.

"Extremely so, Miss Savanna. You don't know how I long to be a female, boasting the fact that any man could come after me with any form of sexual intent-- but I could kill them at any moment if I was allowed to," he responded lightly, the slightest hint of sarcasm lacing his words. Kaleb was mocking her again, of course. He wasn't trying to be sexist-- of course not, he believed in equality. It was just a pity for her that most men were only interested in young women. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been talking. "But that would be rather interesting, wouldn't it?" he continued to muse, taking note of the fact that Savanna seemed prepared to leave. "The next target... if he was interested in men. Or perhaps it being a woman. One of your biggest assets wouldn't exactly work then, hm?"

Of course he was aware of her age. When it had been stated before that he was interested in her, he was actually willing to find out as much information about her as possible. It wasn't in a stalker sort of way, though it certainly did sound like it. That's why he preferred researching on his own. The assassins he worked with could be real a**es sometimes. Besides, he didn't research her background information, such as her personal life before becoming an assassin. He respected that much. It interested him to know that she was only one year younger than he. Of course, he could have clearly guessed it, looking at her face, but you never knew who would go as far as to get plastic surgery to change how they look.

When Savanna finally made it clear she was ready to leave him at this point, Kaleb returned her cool smile with an even brighter and laid back smile. "Ah, yes, of course. How very thoughtful of you~" he chimed in, brushing his hand over his shoulder to fix the strap of his instrument case. It was more of a habit than anything, because that strap wasn't going to fall off any time soon. "I didn't realise you were concerned about my work as well, Miss Savanna," he continued, following her a little more despite knowing where she was headed. Actually, he had to go the opposite way to get to the man who had given him the contract for Damien. "I trust you'll have a splendid rest of the day~" he concluded, saluting the female before turning his bike around, glancing behind him with one last grin before driving off. The sooner he got his payment for killing Damien, the sooner he could head back to base. Boy, food sounded good to him right about now.

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Savanna knew what his attempt to irritate her was doing. He was looking for an excuse to try and make her angry, and it was only that knowledge on her part that kept him from succeeding. She wasn't comfortable fighting with innuendoes and mocking little comments - if one of the younger assassins needed a dressing-down, she'd give it to them flat-out. She didn't play like this.

But damned if she'd let Kaleb win this little bout.

She gave him a patiently amused look. "My work is always well done, love," she replied calmly. "That's why I can afford to be high and mighty." Turning her head a little to glance up at the sun, she sighed. Clouds were beginning to skid over it - looked like a storm was coming. No matter how she loved thunderstorms, it couldn't be denied that they made work a little more difficult. Paranoia became such a problem in stormy weather.

Her lips twitched slightly as he kept talking. "Well, Master Kaleb, there's surgery for that, if you're that desperate." She deliberately used the Master in place of Mister, knowing full well that it was the term used for a child and thus somewhat insulting. Idly, she toyed with the end of her ponytail. "And as I'm sure you're aware, my gender is only one of my..." She trailed off, and an easy smirk crossed her lips. "Assets."

One she used often, admittedly, but not always. When her target was a woman or a man uninterested in women, her femininity could be used in a different way - a friendship, a shy acquaintance, the simple technique of a lost young woman looking for help from someone unthreatening. Easy. But there was also stealth, speed, intelligence and brute force. Any were equally easy to use.

Not that she would fill Kaleb in on that, even if she was fairly certain he already knew. He was that kind of person - all the more reason for him to annoy her.

Then she paused, glanced back and lifted a brow when Kaleb mentioned work. "Well, of course I am," she responded, all sisterly concern above and amusement below. "If we didn't have you around, we'd be simply overwhelmed. As it is, we know we can trust that you'll take some of those...childishly easy assignments off our hands. So we can deal with the real work."

Her lashes lowered a little, and her smile widened a bit. "Of course. I always do." She turned her back on him before he turned his bike around, and she walked away, heading for a side alley.

After a second or two, her phone rang. Pausing, she pulled it out and answered.

"Hello?"

A few minutes of silence as she listened intently to the words on the other side. Her brow knitted a little, and her eyes grew worried. Considering how famed her 'poker face' was among her acquaintances at Home, whatever was being said had to be important.

"...Yes. I understand. I'll be there right away."

She hung up, glanced back to make sure that Kaleb was nowhere in sight, and vanished into a side alleyway once again. She had to get Home, and she had no time to deal with that idiot.  

[yummeh-applesauces]

Now this was why Kaleb enjoyed messing around with her. This girl could actually come up with a successful comeback to his remarks. Other assassins from Silens that he attempted to speak to... well, they weren't nearly as amusing. That was one of the reasons why he'd given up on the less interesting assassins. If Savanna hadn't been a Silenii... well, he might still have bouts with her, but he might have found himself able to get along with her well. Such a pity his group of assassins disliked hers. As they continued to make witty retorts, Kaleb couldn't help but laugh to himself. This was turning out to be extremely amusing and very fun. This girl sure did know how to hit where it hurt, and if Kaleb had as big of an ego as other assassins he knew had, maybe she would have successfully damaged it.

"Indeed," he had agreed lightly, ignoring the rolling clouds. A storm was coming? Good! Kaleb loved storms. He never thought much of them when he found himself assassinating a target in a storm. It made things all the more dramatic, and he did enjoy walking in the rain. Paranoia could be a problem, but it was a problem easily solved. What Kaleb enjoyed as much as the loud cracks of thunder that came from a storm close by was the clear bolts of lightning. They were always so fun to watch, seeing it strike down some place nearby. It was especially adrenaline-pumping when lightning strikes only mere feet away. Kaleb loved his adrenaline rushes. He was extremely used to his racing heart when he killed someone. It was almost as natural as breathing to him. Almost. Kaleb lived for thrills-- it was another reason why he'd willingly become an assassin in the first place.

So, to begin with, Kaleb had no witty comment in response to her previous comment, about her being able to be all high and mighty. At least, he'd chosen not to speak his mind. He could let that one drop. It didn't matter to him, as he wasn't able to tell whether or not she was serious. He was pretty sure she wasn't seriously boasting about being able to be high and mighty... it was rather conceited. He didn't seriously think she was like that at all, and he refused to go there. So, he dropped it. No biggie. His grin widened as she continued to speak. Oh, she really was interesting! He chuckled softly, swinging his legs slightly back in forth in a careful manner. He was still on his bike, after all, and that wouldn't make him look so good if it had suddenly fallen over. Great assassin, indeed.

Kaleb had chosen to take being called Master in a different manner than Savanna had given it. He was fully aware of how it had been intended, of course, and it only proved to further amuse him, though it did strike a very small chord. "I didn't realise you were willing to obey my every whim, Miss Savanna~" he mused, his voice carrying a child-like and innocent tone to it. "It sounds like something an apprentice would address his or her mentor by.. I like the ring to it." He sighed contentedly, humming a chipper tune to himself as he continued to listen to her speak. One of very few, of course, he added to himself, chuckling out loud at the thought. Of course, he had only even intended it to himself as a joke, and he was perfectly well aware of her skill as an assassin. His laughter could have even been used to psych her out, but he wasn't expecting it to work, knowing Savanna like he usually did-- or, he didn't expect her to show it, in any case. There certainly could be bottled up thoughts and reactions that she did her best to hide.

Kaleb had been just about to take off when Savanna finally responded to his comment about work. Now, he didn't expect this response. Though, he supposed that was what made her interesting. And, thinking about it, he should have seen it coming. He had set himself up quite well for it. Still, he didn't show any reaction that might have satisfied Savanna, such as anger or shock. Just as she sometimes did whilst speaking to him, he did so for this comment, and hid his emotions behind an easy smile. "It's refreshing to hear that you do require our help," he sang after turning his bike around. "Even if you do hide admitting such a thing by calling our work childishly easy. Apparently flirting is real work and getting straight to the point is childish these days~"

With that, Kaleb rode off, not paying much more attention to Savanna and whatever she was up to next as he did so. Whatever was going on with her, it wasn't his problem anymore so long as he or Woodbaine wasn't involved. What was important now was collecting the payment for going through the trouble with Damien. Though, they weren't going to complain over the loss of an assassin. The contract had proved that the assassin was incapable of being an assassin. Fulfilling contracts also served to weed out the weak, but they always aimed for excellence. Kaleb arrived only moments later to the house that belonged to the man who had issued the contract. He pulled his proof of Damien's death from his case and walked up to the front door, knocking and waiting for a response.

Kaleb had been forced to wait a few minutes, but after hearing the man shout that he would be there for him shortly, he dealt with the waiting rather patiently. The waiting had paid off when the man answered the door, took the proof of Damien's death eagerly, and rewarded Kaleb with the payment he had promised Woodbaine. The man didn't seem at all troubled by the fact that this had taken a day longer than it should have, which somewhat caught Kaleb by surprise, but he decided not to even mention it. The man might decide to change his mind or something if Kaleb had spoken of it. That was how his luck worked sometime. When all was said and done, Kaleb returned to his bike and rode off again, making his way toward Woodbaine's headquarters with a small smile on his face and the cash in his case.

((Dammit... that wasn't supposed to rhyme at the end.. xDD))