Bound by Deception

4.2 A Sense of Normalcy

"It's nice today," Aria noticed. A breeze caressed her bare legs under the modest dress that she wore. The baby pink piece was something of her mother's and laced with white and pink. Her hair, which was tied back with a ribbon, followed the direction that her skirt flew in, which was incidentally in Sterling's face.

The older man laughed and pushed her ribbons out of his hair. "I don't think your hair appreciates it that much," he teased.

Aria smirked. "You're just jealous that my hair is better than yours."

"Yeah, maybe a little," Sterling grinned, brushing his snowy locks. "I've tried every hair treatment possible to make these little shits longer. Nothing's worked."

"Maybe it's just a genetic thing?"

"Probably." Sterling released a long exhale and reclined on the bench. His head was tossed back and only came up ever so slightly to steal another lick of his snack. "You're right, though. It is nice today."

"Hm..." Aria's side brushed him. "The tides are turning. I guess the cold is gone for now."

"Until next year, I guess."

"Unfortunately."

A happy cry brought Aria out of her thoughts. Her instincts kicked in reflexively and she whirled around on the bench, searching with her keen eyes for the root of the scream. She found it in a little girl - no doubt one of noble birth - with box braids and glowing skin that seemed to glow brighter as she held a shiny doll above her head. In front of her kneeled a handsome man, probably her father, and behind her was a beautiful woman with jewels braided in her hair. Both parents beamed at their daughter as she danced around with her new toy, laughing and swinging gleefully. She ran to hug her father and mother, then brought them to play with her.

A twinge vibrated in Aria's heart, one that sent waves of bitter nostalgia rippling through her body. She shifted uncomfortably on the chair and turned back toward the river. Her eyes stung, but years of practice made it easy for her to resist the onslaught of tears that threatened to pour out onto her face.

Sterling was quiet, observing the river with a placid expression. He noticed the girl, and Aria's expressions, but said nothing, as he was contemplating if he should bring up the subject or not. Their personal lives were a touchy subject for both of them, and Aria had never dug into his past, so he had no right to dig into hers. However, he couldn't help but open his mouth and ask:

"Hey, Ari?"

"Hm?"

"Today, when we were training Rita and Vita...when you told them to kill their emotions..."

"Yeah? What about it?"

"You said that we're all alone. Have you ever...have you ever thought about leaving?"

"Leaving?" Aria frowned. "As in, leave the syndicate?"

Sterling nodded. "You know, have a family? Get married, have kids, a house in the suburbs? Haven't you ever thought about that?"

"Of course I have," Aria said. "Who hasn't? There's a reason it's called the ideal lifestyle, don't you think so?"

"I suppose so. But, do you think one day we can have that?"

Aria was silent. She drew in her bottom lip and stared at her ice cream. "I don't know," she said at last. "Truly, Sterling, I don't know. I've always wanted a family. After my father...you know...I wanted to be better than him. For my kids, I wanted to be the best parent they could ever have. But...life didn't turn out the way I had hoped. Situations change, and there's nothing we can do about it but adapt."

"But one day, do you think we can have that?"

"If we leave the syndicate, we're dead. Once you're in, there's no way out but death. You and I know that better than anyone else...you especially." Aria winced. "It's a tough reality, but there's nothing else that we have. We have to protect ourselves and those in our lives. Bringing others into this lifestyle is dangerous, and we'd be selfish to do that."

"You have a point," Sterling admitted. "It's just...I don't know. It's nice to indulge in that fantasy every now and then."

Aria nodded. "That's why it's just a fantasy." She leaned on his shoulder, biting slowly into the last bits of her cone. "We'll never be normal, Sterling. The world has taken that away from us, and all we have is the syndicate, our family, and each other. All we can do is change ourselves and play this game like liars. It's our life. I don't think it'll ever change for us."

"Yeah..." Sterling stared at his cone. A sense of realization overtook him and he straightened. "You're right. Enough of this imagining. Our fantasies are only going to stay fantasies. If we want to protect whatever we have left, then we'll fight until we die for them."

"That's the spirit." Aria grinned. "Although, sometimes I wish I didn't have my family. Then I wouldn't have to constantly worry about them...and you."

"I can take care of myself." Sterling smiled playfully. "As for our family...they're part of the package. They're civilians and we work in the shadows to keep them safe. They can see us as heroes or villains, but as long as they don't have any blood on them, it's fine."

"It's funny because no matter how much I shower, I have never been able to completely get the blood stains out of my skin," Aria said. "Does that happen to you?"

"Yes." Sterling studied his hand. "They're like tattoos. Always here to remind us how cruel life is."

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unedited

We have a rare moment with our assassins here. What does this say about them? Do they enjoy their job? 

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