The Forsaken Art

He helped her in and set down. A small table had been built into the boat and fresh hot breakfast pizza was setting atop it. The gondolier pushed off and they were on their way downstream. "So I guess it's time for business." He said as he munched on a piece of the pizza. "For a while now I've rather disgruntles with how New Republic treats mages. While we can become a better organization, change is not possible with the current czar. That is where my proposition comes in."

Jaide wasn't actually serious when she asked if he wanted to help her in. She accepted it regardless and felt a bit of a burning sensation in her cheeks. The fuck was that?!

They took off down the river at a leisurely pace. Jaide also grabbed some pizza and nibbled on it. It was a little early for lunch but pizza was one of those things you could have any time and it'd still be delicious. Especially Italian pizza.

"What might your proposition be?" She asked after chewing and swallowing a bite, "You couldn't possibly be hinting at assassinating the Czar..."

Jaide blinked a few times, "Could you?"

Trent whined. "But... Im gonna be a hero!"
He literally Shouted as he hovered back into the room.

Cress took another piece and sighed, steeling his nerves. "Although I dislike the word asassination, that is precisely what I mean. A good system cannot work with a corrupt ruler." He looked at her and smiled a bit. "However I would have many of the czar's men at my back and I would like to know that CORE would be able to lend it's support."

The gondola turned and the two got a glorious look at the sunrise. "Magnificent isn't it? One little moment can cause the heart to melt in awe."

Jaide spared only a quick glance to the sunrise before turning back and studying this man in front of her. She wasn't a hundred percent sure about him, to be honest. He seemed serious about this plan but it just... was it too easy? That had to be it. Could it be a trap? Maybe. But Jaide wanted a peaceful way to settle this. After all, she wanted equality, not war. It seemed like killing the Czar was the only option.

Full of butterflies, her stomach refused more food. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wood of the gondola, "I'd like to know how I could know that I can trust you... that, and what your plan would be if I were to consider this."

Greyson sat back in bed and sighed.

"Anyways, I still need to recuperate. Mircana take Trent back to the apartment. You two come back here at 4 A.M. Nursery will be home soon anyways." Annamaria stretched.

"I'm going to visit Cyprus. Bye!" She winked at Trent and disappeared in a column of fire. Greyson yawned.

"Cya guys in the morning."

Emma and Anna grinned at each other, helping themselves to the skin tight wet suits they had gotten awhile back. THey helped each other with the zippers, before grabbing two snorkles and pairs of goggles and following Jaide out to the waterway, diving in when they caught sight of the Gondala. As the boat moved down the waterway, they followed behind, weapons drawn, a little cold in the spring time water, snorkles the only thing suggesting people swimming behind.

Hopefully everything went smoothly.

Amanda woke early. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Mrf.... why does he always insist on meeting so damn early in the morning..." she grumbled to herself. she got up and got herself ready, and headed out, not taking the time to attend her personal hygiene... after all, the last thing she wanted was to look... *gag*pretty. She walked out, he had asked her meet him nearby the eastern waterway, in one of the alleys. She smelt the tobacco before she saw him. and there he was, his signature five-hydra-head pipe in hand, blowing smoke rings. Amanda didn't know what he wore when he wasn't in costume, but here he stood wearing a hooded robe, his face hidden, and underneath, she knew, he wore a mask that covered his whole face except fir his nostrils and mouth, and was designed to look like a dragon's head. for clothes she knew he would have on his white tunic and purple trousers. "Ah, Amanda." he said. his voice was low and oozed malevolence, but she knew that was just an effect of the voice filter he used to mask his true voice, nonetheless, she couldn't help but shiver as he said her name like that, as if she were an insect that bothered him, but he put up with because he had to. "How is life?" it was his way of asking if anything new had happened since their last meeting. She snorted. "We got a new member. The twins seem to have adopted him as their pet. Fuckhead woke me up last night with screaming, too. He looks like something of a sneaky, athletic sort... like a possum." she knew how much The Broker loved his animal analogies. "Hmm? Like a... Ah, yes, him." Amanda wasn't surprised by his apparent familiarity with the man. If there was one thing she'd learned, it was that if The Broker didn't know it, it wasn't worth knowing.

"How could I make you trust me...." Cress furrowed his brow in thought. "How about this?" He took revolver out of the inner pocket of his coat and set it on the table, next to the pizza. "One bullet. I've told no on e about this meeting and I made sure no one followed. You can take me out now and no one would be the wiser."

Jaide was looking at Cress when she noticed something strange out of the corner of her eye. Was that... snorkels?

There was a stifled laugh that escaped from her and Jaide covered it up with a cough. There were two of them so she only assumed that the twins were up to something.

That was when Cress put the gun on the table. He said that she could shoot him and no one would know. Jaide picked up the gun and looked at it. The cool metal felt foreign in her hand, the weight of it awkward compared to her daggers. She checked it for the bullet that he was talking about and nodded. She spun the revolver back into place and then set it aside. She kept it close to her though, just in case.

"Alright," Jaide said, although she still sounded skeptical. She wouldn't be the CORE leader for very long if she trusted just anyone. She leaned back and crossed her arms, "So let's say I buy this whole 'rebel against the Czar and kill him'... how are you planning on pulling it off? It's not like he's unguarded and unless you can get everyone inside HQ on your side, it won't be easy. And even then, who will replace him?"

"In three days the czar will be hosting a party in Rome. I don't have all the pieces in place yet so the plan may change. I think if we can cause a big enough of distraction, the guards will be looking away long enough for me to take him out."

He looked at her again, still nibbling his pizza. As for who would take over, I have an idea but I'll need to get some more information first." Unconsciously he brushed some hair out of his face. That was when hell broke loose.

The first shot merely glanced off the side of the boat. The next one grazed his shoulder. Cress dove forward, shielding Jaide underneath him. He had to protect her, no matter what. That message kept running through his mind. One last shot rang out before they ducked under a bridge.

Cress looked over the side of the boat. He nearly gagged as he saw a a girl's body floating there, a fringe of red around her. "No..."

Jaide felt trapped underneath Cress as the bullets whipped over top of them. She saw his shoulder bleeding and bit her lip. That couldn't feel good. The crimson liquid began to pool, staining his clothing irreparably. She put her hand onto the wound and applied pressure.

They passed under the bridge and the shots ended. Cress was the first one to look around and he whispered a single word that had Jaide's blood turn cold. She frantically stood up and looked over the boat. A familiar body was floating there that had Jaide's eyes grow wide in shock.

Emma...

Jaide didn't think before she leapt off the bridge and into the water. She swam over to the body and scooped her up in her arms. There was a tightening in her chest as she looked down at the girl's face. A single bullet hole went through her skull, a large portion of it missing when it exited through the back. Jaide's tears stung as she pushed the hair away from the girl's face. She didn't deny the death, she didn't allow the tears to fall, but she did turn to Cress and give him a glare that said, "This is all your fault".

She swam to the edge of the waterfront and somehow managed to pull both the body and herself onto the cobblestone. Jaide looked around for the other twin, yelling her name over and over again. All the while, she was reaching for underneath her pants and grabbing the daggers hidden there, searching for whoever the murderer might be.

Trent sighed, and nodded. He looked at Greyson before he left. "Whats with the winks?"

The gondolier hurriedly brought the boat to a stop and Cress hopped out. "I don't know who did this. I ordered my men not to follow." He knelt down beside her and another bullet hit a few feet away. He could tell they were deliberately aiming for him. "Whoever this is wants both of us dead. I know I can't bring her back, but if you come with me I can make sure you're safe. I trusted you with my life on that boat, now you need to trust me with your's."

"How should I know. Annamaria's a weirdo."

---___---___---___

Mircana and Trent approached the door of the apartment and sighed.

"Well, here it is." She opened the door to reveal a fancy suite of incredible beauty and design. She simply walked in and plopped down on the couch.

Garreth took a smoke as he saw a gondolier appear in the waterways. "Now, Amanda. Let's watch what happens here" he said. he was fascinated as to how this would go down. If his intel on the man was correct, Jaide would not be getting off the boat alive. Garreth and Amanda watched carefully, and when Cress brushed his hair, a sign Garreth's intel said was an attack order, shots rang out. They seemed to be aimed at Cress rather than Jaide however, so Garreth frowned. His frown only deepened as Cress jumped on top of Jaide. He turned. "Amanda, you had better go and help them.... and try to figure the gori-... No, he's a chimp.... try to figure the chimp out." Amanda nodded and ran off, leaving Garreth to his thoughts. Was Cress being attacked... or was it deliberate, in order to gain Jaide's trust? "Time will tell..."

Amanda ran out and toward Jaide. She skidded to a halt behind her, and her eyes bulged. 'Is that... Emma?" her normally icy façade broke, but didn't disappear for long. With a growl, she grabbed one of her daggers and forced Cress to the ground and whipped one of her daggers to his throat. "Who the hell are you?" she said, her voice colder than ice.

Anna ducked under the water, holding her breath as bullets whizzed past her and her sister. She broke the surface, ducking for cover under a bridge, only emerging when she saw Jaide jump off of it and grab something out of bloodied water. She emerged when she was called, catching up with Jaide, blade in hand, catching sight of the body in her arms.

She screamed.

She screamed her sister's name, tears rolling down her face. She screamed Aldron's name, Jaide's name, she screamed vengeance on who had done this. She looked at Cress, a look of pure fury and a anguish on her face. She screamed at him, "you're fault! ALL YOU'RE FAULT!"

She raised her hand, her eyes pure fury, ready to rip every cell from his body, one by one, when Amanda dropped down. She looked at Emma, and her facade broke, showing what looked like concern. It set Anna off, making her collapse in a small ball of sobs.

___________________________________

In Rome, Aldron Blackheart stood in a dark alley, wiping blood from his scythe blade. Something itched on his back, and an image flashed in his mind. In three seconds he was off, back to CORE, back to Venice.

Back to his girls.

Jaide shot Cress a furious glare when he approached. He wanted her to go with him. Jaide looked down at Emma and her chest tightened again. Where the heck was her sister?!

Her question was answered by the sound of the screams.

Jaide snapped her head up to Anna who was hysterical. Shortly before Anna came over, Amanda had arrived. Where the heck that woman came from, she had no idea. All the while, the bullets were still flying.

"We can talk about this later," Jaide hissed through clenched teeth, "And play the blame game some other time. For now, let's get out of here before we..." Jaide stopped herself, "Just help me with her!" She ordered, attempting to lift Emma quickly and run away.

Cress picked up the girl's body, sticking close to a wall for cover. "My car isn't far from here." He said, ignoring the weight. "I can't leave you tell I have your word on the plan and I can't call off the attack until I get out of here and figure out what the hell is going on."

Colors swirled in his mind, purple, gold, crimson. The crimson seem to ooze and cover the other colors. The scene changes to a town now in ruins body's, and blood everywhere the eye could see. A younger Carl, walked the ruins and come upon a young boy, with blood and tears dripping down his face. The boy`s cry's rang out and echoed a million times around the ruins of his once home. "Mome? Mommy? Where Mome.." By that point the blood lost had started to bring him into fatal stages. Carl just ran a finger down the boys cold cheek. The boy had done nothing but try and save his family, and now he was dead. Carl stood up looked around, dazed, a salty tear ran down his face as the blood stained man ran further into the North. The scene changed to a big glowing purple dragon like face booming. "Do you wish to redeem you`rself? Answer me!" As it boomed the temple around him began to shake. In front of him stood, a man who was matted and ill, he nodded breathlessly . "I shall give you the power." The man screamed out in pain as his whole body glowed purple, and burned.

Carl`s eyes busted open, as beed`s of sweat covered his body. He hated that dream but he always had it, as he sat up he felt the aching pain in his head. "Ugh what happened?" He asked himself before he spotted the flasks of Ale scattered wheresoever. He must have gotten carried away last night. He glanced up at the clock and his eyes bulged out of there sockets as he saw it was around 8 o clock. He had fallen asleep in the cloths from the other day, so he only change his stained shirt, and ran out the door, forgetting his bag and notes, and busted into the streets of Rome.

He called a cab, and hoped in it. "Napples, and make it snappy!"

________________

Jessie had woken up early as was custom, and sat in her room gearing up for a job and checking out her map to find today's pickpocket spot.

Amanda growled again, and let Cress up. "Help Jaide with Emma... and if I see you do ANYTHING..." she trailed off, letting the threat make itself. With that, she picked up the sobbing Anna. "Come on now. This isn't the place to break down, girly..." she said, but her tone had lost its usual iciness. She simply couldn't find it in herself to be as cold as before... after all, she knew the loss of a sibling too. She followed Jaide with Anna sobbing her heart out and her arms around Amanda's neck.

Trent walked into the room, watched as Mircana flopped onto the couch, and he shrugged.

"Well... I'm going to bed..." He simply said, and began to take off his shirt, leaving nothing on but his pants. Without his shirt on his chest could be seen, along with the muscles that followed suit.

Trent yawned, and stretched his arms over his head, falling backwards onto the soft bed below him.

"G'night Mircana..."

Mircana nodded and fell asleep. As Trent fell asleep on the bed Nursery got up only wearing a black night gown and woke him up.

"Hey, if we're sharing the bed stop snoring."

Trent yawned, not rousing from his sleep, and unconsciously pulled Nursery closer to him.

He didn't move, but his snoring stopped, and he drifted off into his dreams once more.

Nursery pushed him off and rolled to the others side of the bed.

"Touch me again boy, and you die."