Alone in the Dark

Old Friends

Nerini waited until she heard the archer move away and down the road, bow undrawn, and then she spun the lieutenant around and pushed him hard in the same direction, levelling her swords in Keana's direction as the man drew his own. Like her, he had two lighter blades though his were curved and widened to almost double at the ends. Included with the serrated edge on the inside of them, this made the swords very effective in catching hilts and disarming opponents and gashing very ugly holes in people.

"You picked a bad side to work with, Kea." She said thoughtfully, spinning her blades, knowing that it would only take him a little while longer to figure out who she was.

Keana smiled at her words, spinning his blades idly as he murmured. "C'mon, I work with all sides, mainly the ones who ask me to work with them and pay me for my troubles. You know this, darling."

She let out a breath and inclined her head, lowering her blades to sheath one of them, before she raised that hand and pulled back her hood, her expression hard. "I could debate with you all night on this matter, however I have things to do. Now are you here to kill me, or are you just being paid to tell the people who want to kill me that I'm here?"

Keana grinned wider upon seeing her, spinning his blades into their sheaths. "We are under a meagre information contract, I have taken no contract to kill or hinder your movements in any way, my beautiful Vixen. I should have known it was you sniffing around, I know the people I've trained. Who are you working for now?"

Nerini frowned darkly at the man, sheathing her second sword as she avoided that question and addressed the pressing topic. "You better not have had anything to do with this, Kea."

He blinked in surprise, glancing around before holding his hands up in surrender. "The grand self-inflated lord who disappeared on this road? No. We were contracted after that. I don't openly oppose the Regency, I'm not an idiot."

"So, help me, if you're lying to me..." She growled, taking a step towards him, anger flaring at his dismissal of Kanny.

But Keana didn't step back, standing in place, his expression shifting almost imperceptibly to one of cool confidence. "Careful with your threats. I have a pecking order to maintain."

Nerini let out a slow breath and shook her head, catching herself, knowing that she was pushing the boundaries of any vestiges of friendship. If they were still friends after all that had transpired since she had left the company. "Kea, do what you will. I expect nothing from you."

And with that she shifted past him, walking towards the opposite woods, her hands braced on the hidden knives in her armour as she heard him turn and follow her. Nerini wasn't convinced she could fully trust him and being surrounded by him and half of his people set her teeth on edge. But him sheathing his swords was an unspoken agreement that she would honour until he gave her reason to truly consider him an enemy.

"I realize this, though I think I am the one who is the injured party in our friendship." He smiled at her, falling into step beside her as they entered the woods. "I wouldn't lie to you about this. We don't generally do the murder for hire thing anymore, isn't much of a market for it, and draws too much attention."

"Did you watch for him? Was it your scouts that alerted his ambush?" Nerini glanced at the man who watched her easily, finding herself hoping he was being truthful.

That thought surprised her. She had not thought she still cared about the man's opinions and friendship.

"No, I told you, Vixy. We were contracted after whatever happened, happened. My men here were approached to keep a watch on anyone snooping around. I was up here dealing with them for deciding on a contract with unknown parties without my permission when we got word you were here." Kea shrugged easily again, grinning as he walked with her, as if they hadn't parted rather stormily.