Chapter 4: Preamble

"No." Najenda said, her voice firm and unyielding.

"We can't just let them do whatever they want to them!" Parc argued after Najenda had so bluntly said she wouldn't send them out to rescue Sayo and Ieyasu.

"I understand that you are worried for them. But we cannot rush a job. We need to make a plan. Now, I would happily assist in that department, but I am to leave by nightfall if I want to make it to the R.A camp within the week." Najenda's fingers interwove, leaning forward, keeping her arms propped up un her knees. Her coat covering her metal arm. Her single purple eye digging deep into his very soul, yet somehow holding a softness to it.

Sheele and Mine stood to the side. Just listening as Najenda so easily put him down, not that he was enthused in just leaving it there.

"Najenda, I can't let them get hurt." He said, a hint of desperation in his voice. 'I promised I wouldn't…'

Najenda's eyes closed to slits, reading every little bit about him. The way he nervously tapped his fingers against his arms. The determination as he forced himself to keep eyes locked with her. 'Least he show's determination.'

"Why not?" she asked, "you told Mine that you met them for the first time days ago. Yet now you're treating them like the last of your family alive? Why is that?"

Parc sucked in a breath, letting it out in a large sigh, "I… owe them one." He scratched his cheek, "I ran into a group of danger beasts, I wasn't able to handle the lot of them. But Ieyasu showed up and helped. But not before I got a decently sized bite on my side. Sayo helped patch me up. Almost went as far as feeding me with her own hands when we got a camp setup for the night. I left just before dawn, apparently not quiet enough as Sayo woke up, and tossed me some extra bandages she had… her last ones. Told me to change them when I ran into a stream."

"Sounds like you have more of a crush on the Sayo girl than owing them a favour," Mine snorted, finally speaking up since she gave her report. Her words cold, laced with her usual, haughty tone.

He looked to her with a raised brow. He wouldn't lie and say Sayo wasn't at the least cute, and well, beautiful from when he first met her. But a crush? That was pushing it a little far for meeting her one time.

"Since I escaped Esdeath, she's the first one to even help me with my injuries. More often than not, if I found a village, it was ransacked, and the survivors were more than willing to shoot me on sight. Helping her is the least I can do."

That shut Mine up completely, unable to properly retort, even though she really wanted to.

"Then I advise you to devise a plan and get to work," all gazes shot to Najenda.

"What!?" Mine shouted, disbelieving.

Najenda tapped her cigarette, letting the ash fall to the ground, ignoring Mine and keeping her eyes on Parc, "soldiers respond swiftly in that part of the city. You will have thirty minutes once the op begins to get in and get out with all three targets dead. Can you do it?"

Parc's mind was thrown through a loop at the sudden proclamation of having to get them out himself.

"General! Are you insane!? This isn't a job for a newbie! Especially giving him the lead! Your just asking for one of us to get killed!" Mine ranted. Sheele pushing her glasses up on her nose, if they were even there in the first place. Something she realized when she only found herself pressing on the bridge of her nose instead of the plastic of her glasses.

"Mine," a growl came Najenda's throat, causing Mine to yelp and straighten her body, legs together and her arms at her side. The generals glare keeping her rooted in place. Only loosening up when Najenda finally diverted her gaze back to Parc.

"Can you do it?" she repeated, looking him in the eyes.

Parc held his hands by his sides, his back straightening, his gaze sharpening, "I can."

Najenda nodded, pleased with his answer and determination. Standing from her seat she approached him, slapping her metal arm down on his shoulder, a tinge of pain coursing through his shoulder from it. "Then you better get to work. You will have all of Night Raid at your disposal. Goodluck." She passed him. Saying no more as she exited the room.

Parc's gaze following behind her, her hips swaying side to side in an almost sultry, but trained fashion, ever step she took seeming calculated.

"I can't believe this…" Mine grabbed her head, squatting down with her legs close together. "I'm going to die. This idiots going to get me killed."

He didn't have the time to deal with Mine right now as he just walked away, Sheele following behind as per her previous orders to shadow him.

"Don't you dare leave me behind!" he heard the furious pitter of Mine chasing after him and Sheele. Forcing herself in his way to stop him. Her hands on her hips body tilted forwards slightly, "I'm not going to let you get us killed!" she shouted.

"I don't plan to get anyone killed," Parc retorted with utmost confidence. "Have a little more confidence in me."

"I can't! I don't even know you and I'm now stuck under your thumb for the next mission! A nobody! Do you even know how we work!?"

A frown forced its way onto Parc's face. Of course he knew, "Only operate missions at night. Missions are brought to our attention either by the revolutionary army itself or citizens. Investigations are launched on both the target and the client to ensure safety. Night Raid is also tasked with the retrieval of any located Teigu which is then handed to those in the Rebel army to boost their strength to further improve our chances of finally taking down Honest and his lackeys. Often, we work in teams of at least two to cover our asses. Working in larger groups is for the more dangerous missions. Like raiding a fortified mansion filled with guards armed to the teeth." He leaned forward, bringing his face close to hers.

"I'm not an idiot Mine. It probably is more complicated than that. I don't know your rules for working in the day, how you collect information and whatnot. Now as much as I'd like to argue with you about the finer details of life as an assassin. I've got a murder to plan, with or without your help." Stepping around her, Parc left Mine dumbfounded.

Her mind drawing a blank at having been talked down upon. Leaving her staring down the hallway as Parc and Sheele continued walking on. As her mind slowly caught up with her, she noted a faint smell of mint smell blended with oranges lingering in the air, entrancing her for a moment, unconsciously she had found herself following it.

The sight of Parc's back breaking the trance the scent had brought her under. With a shake of her head, her cheeks took on a faint rosy hue. 'Keep it together. It's just a smell.' She reasoned with herself. Sighing as she picked up her pace to keep up with Parc and Sheele. She might as well ensure his plan is at least viable, right?

***

Parc pinched the bridge of his nose, gently massaging his eyes. Since their return from scouting out the Tellien estate, dawn had already begun to rise. Not a single one of the hours between having been spent with his eyes shut, sleeping. Only closing them every once and a while to give his eyes a moment of respite from the neat lines of the reports he had been reading.

The amount of accounts of guards carrying bags out of the estate being in the dozens if not hundreds. What was inside the bags, he could only imagine.

Leone had even come up to him after hearing he'd been given lead over the job, informing him that while he, Mine and Sheele were spending their time lounging on top of the roofs, she had been stalking one of the guards carrying said bags towards some cemetery to hand it over to the undertaker. Who funnily enough, found himself sleeping late and let his most beautiful, most attractive assistant take over for him.

Of course, because it was Leone she had stroked her finger over his chest and gave a not so subtle proposition for a, quote, 'round two', once she was done telling him about the mutilated corpse in the bag. Which he regrettably refused in favour of continuing his plan with help from a surprisingly helpful Mine, albeit with all to frequent the annoyed muttering that she was stuck making sure he didn't get anyone killed. A phrase he was sick of by now.

Luckily, Mine had long since stopped her chattering. Barely able to keep herself awake. The bobbing of her head only becoming more pronounced and frequent as time went on. By now it was a miracle she hadn't slammed her forehead into the table.

'Persistent,' he snickered, amused at the adorable sight of Mine, her eyes half lidded and mouth drooping, her pale pink lips smacking to keep her drool confined to her mouth. He could tell she—as his 'elder' in Night Raid- didn't want to give him a bad impression by being the first one to fall asleep. Which, as he could tell was going incredibly poorly, if not adorably.

Looking out the window of the room, Parc saw the orange shine of the rising sun on the horizon, 'its really been that long…' last time he checked felt like when they'd started this session around midnight.

A loud banging noise and a whine of pain caused Parc to jump. His head shooting to Mine who was rubbing her forehead, mumbling something about stupid tables being stupid hard in a half delirious tone.

'she needs some rest,' he thought.

"Mmmnn…" Mine let out a sigh. Unable to keep her head up any more. Laying her head atop her arms, her eyes shutting and almost instantly falling into slumber.

Parc smiled, pushing his chair out and standing. Walking besides Mine, placing his hand on her back and giving her a light shake, grumbles of displeasure come from the pinkly sprite. "Mine, why don't you head to your room. I'll finish up here." He softly said.

Mine's body limply rose from the table, her arms raising to stretch with a squeaking yawn. "Mnnn…" She stood, rubbing an eye with the palm of her hand, wiping away her tears of tiredness. Taking small, lazy steps away, "g'night… Sheele,' Apparently she had mistaken Parc for Sheele as it seemed. Which was a lucky benefit because he didn't doubt it that she would have refused if she didn't mistake him.

'When she's not pissy she's absolutely adorable,' Parc chuckled, resting his cheek on his hand. Holding back a yawn of his own. About to return to the reports of the families weekly schedule.

"Aw, and here I was hopping to come into a raunchy scene," Leone said from the doorway, a large toothy smile on her face, letting Parc see her particularly long and sharp canine teeth.

He didn't have the time, even if Mine would agree to it. "Not enough time." He said, flipping through a page on the daughter, Aria. Once every week she would go out in a carriage at night, following a route around the capital. Searching for any out of towners gullible enough to enter her carriage and come with her back to her home where they would never be seen of again. Which, as Leone had learnt was due to the bodies either being burned or cremated at a cemetery.

Seating herself in the same seat Mine had just left besides him. "Oh, there's plenty of time. That guy I found, stuffed into the bag. I told you I met him like, two weeks ago," that she did, he had forgotten in his haste to go over the reports. "Chances are he got picked up not long after. I doubt they'd kill off their playthings quickly. They enjoy savouring the pain. Fucking monsters." A lion like growl came from her, her upper lip curling up till he could nearly see her gums.

"Still, I don't like the idea of them being in there longer than they already are." He ground his teeth. He could only imagine how terrified they are right now. The drug the Tellien used on them likely having faded away leaving them in whatever hellhole was within that store house.

Leone's scowl fell to a soft, genuine smile that made her seem to glow. "We'll get them out," she reached over, placing her hand overtop his. A lovely and kind gesture… if he couldn't tell she wanted something else, and that else had to do with her flaring nostrils and hungry eyes.

Placing the papers down, Parc let out a sigh feeling his muscles loosen, "for an elite assassin, you're terrible at hiding your true intentions." He looked her in her golden, predatory eyes.

"Who said I was trying to hide them?" she chortled, throwing her head back. Her ample breasts bouncing with every movement. As her laughing died down, she twisted her chest side to side after witnessing him unashamedly locking onto them, "feel free to cop'em, I'm not going to bite. Much." she said with a purr. Not giving him an option as she gripped his hand and pulled it onto her chest.

"Nhaa!" She moaned much to exaggeratedly for it to be an actual one. Her hand still overlapped with his, her fingers pressing down on his, forcing him to fondle her E cup. The flesh melting between his hands, the warmth of the bountiful bust easily piercing through he crop top as her nipple grew rigid. "Nnnn…" her cheeks flushed, looking him in the eyes with a sparkle of her own.

He wanted to pull his hand away, but Leone was much stronger than his, easily keeping him on the, addictive fluff of her chest. "C'mon, you could…mmn… use a break. And I know just the way to get you down… fuh… you're not going to get anything done like this."

He frowned, looking between Leone's eyes and the very, very enticing breast he was now freely massaging. Leone having removed her hand some time he didn't notice. Glancing to the mess of papers on the table, 'I can clean it up later.'

He pulled his hand from her chest, his index trailing over its curve, soon circling the nipple. The ection sending visible shivers through Leone's body. "And where exactly would we be doing whatever it is you're imagining?" he pinched, squeezing her sensitive nipple. Her mout lulling open a small dribble of drool already leaving her lips.

Hearing what might as well have been a confirmation from him, Leone licked her lips, wetting her pink lips. "My room of course~" she said, waiting no longer as she stood up. Grabbing Parc's wrist giving him barely enough time to stand himself before getting dragged away. Leaving the mess for someone else to deal with.

"…"

"What the… FUCK!?" Lubbock screamed in absolute shock. Standing frozen, opposite the hallway Leone and Parc went down. His tooth brush having clattered to the ground after witnessing everything.

"Goddamned lucky ass bastard…" he grumbled, glaring down at his toothbrush. Kicking it away in frustration. 'Wait… don't I only have the one?' he groaned a whimper of defeat, head falling back as he chased after his toothbrush.