𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐏𝚰𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝚰𝐋𝐘 || ❴Chrollo Lucilfer x OC❵ HxH

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎 {𝔗𝔥𝔢 ℨ𝔬𝔩𝔡𝔶𝔠𝔨𝔰}

{The Zoldycks}

· · ─────── ·𖤓· ─────── · ·

Aurora Amaranth. That was her name. Little was Zeno Zoldyck surprised, when he saw the young red-haired that had appeared at the airport. The elderly man merely glanced at her through half-closed eyelids before snorting and turning his gaze away.

Unfazed by his behavior,  Aurora's lips turned into a sweet sunny-side egg smile.

"Hello, Gramps!", she said, "It's been awhile."

"Hmpf," Zeno Zoldyck responded. He passed her by with light and soundless footsteps.

Behind him, Silva followed. The cold stare he gave her, got her stumbling in her tracks a little.

'Atta... He thinks of me as a nuisance...' she immediately understood.

"We meet again, kid." Zeno said, opening the conversation.

"Of course~" Aurora said. "Where there's news, there I am."

She glanced at the duo with her notebook and pen in hand.

"Seeing how both of you are here," she said, "the situation must be quite dire."

"Father," Silva started, but Zeno cut him off.

"Yare, yare. So you already know," Zeno replied. He glared at her sharp-eyed and with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-" she said, but was cut off abruptly.

"Let me warn you," Zeno interrupted her with a raised palm, "this job is different from any before."

"I-"

"This mission is barely worth its pay."

"Th-"

"You're courting death, kid."

"..." 

Aurora waited for an extra second before she chose to respond.

"...I will ...keep that in mind," she said. A hesitant smile showed on her face.

To her, his words weren't anything unusual. She had lived most of her life, recklessly. It was in a sense a bad habit of hers, and not something that she had any intention of changing now, out of all times.

The world was full of wonders. The Phantom Troupe being one of them.

But seeing how the elderly man showed her a bit of - what she assumedd to be - compassion, she felt gratitude.

"Thank you..." These words rolled over her lips uncomfortably. It felt a little bit awkward to be lectured at by an assassin, whom she had met a few times while on business.

She heard him clear his throat. Zeno made a small gesture with his fingers.

She immediately knew what he wanted.

M o n e y.

Money.

"Of course, Jii-chan," she said with a vibrant smile, "I've got that covered!"

Unable to mask her joy at his permission, she felt like a huge burden had lifted from her shoulders. With this, she had one less thing to worry about. Who didn't like to be on the side of the World's best assassins?

'Hopefully, this is enough to start on even grounds,' she thought.

Her heart beat inside of her chest, a little nervous, but much more excited. Overall, she had a good feeling about this. Later, she would have to call Ney and give him her thanks for passing on the information.