Better Than The Night Mother

Chapter 4

I nearly jumped a mile high when I heard Astrid's dark, sultry voice address me with a familiar "Welcome home, dear Sister", as I returned to the sanctuary after another of several missions from Nazir. After that little incident from when Cicero first came to our sanctuary, I initially tried to avoid her, and it worked shockingly well for the first two days. Then, I heard Babette mention that she had been on a mission since the day after Cicero's arrival, and I realised that my not seeing her had nothing to do with my mediocre "avoiding-skills". It had been about a week since then, and she had been gone the entire time.

And that, my dear, is why I was so surprised to see her leaning against the archway like she normally did before... whatever it was that happened, happened, and to hear her actually speaking to me in the tone that she normally used- It felt almost as if what had happened a week ago had simply not even occured. Not knowing how else to take this, I simply lowered my gaze from the shocked stare that I had been giving her for a split second and replied "It's good to see you Sister. I trust your mission went well". Yeah, it wasn't particularly interesting or useful, but it was the only thing that I could think of when my mind kept trying to race back to the encounter that we had had the day of Cicero's arrival. Well, actually, I suppose I could have asked what exactly that was last week and how she can just act like nothing even happened, but I've got a feeling that that might not go over so well at this given moment, especially after last week, so it's probably best that I said that instead.

There was a very short silence as I admired the pattern of the stone used to make the floor, feeling like if I looked up, I would become trapped in he gaze and be totally at her mercy one again. A small part of my mind, the part that had taken over that day informed me that I definitely should look up and let myself get trapped because I obviously hadn't disliked it last time. The larger part, namely the sane part, which had been overpowered in that particular moment but was in charge once again, told me to just keep looking down. I listened to the sane one. Finally, of all of the responses that she could have given me, she merely laughed! Laughed! It took all of my willpower to keep a pout off of my face at that, which worried me a bit.

Once her short laugh died down, she replied, her tone betraying her amusement in a way that her eyes probably would have if I had let myself look at them. "Yes, it went wonderfully, though I must tell you, my dear, that I've actually been home for the past three days." At that, I couldn't help but jerking my head up to look at her in shock.

"What?" I asked intelligently after a moment when she didn't elaborate and merely looked back at me through brown eyes that were surprisingly sweet looking. A smile flitted briefly across her lips at my reply before her eyes narrow and her lips pulled down into a frown that almost had me taking a step back, though I managed to control myself somehow.

"The fool of a jester, Cicero," She growled in answer, "I decided to use the extra time that I had before I absolutely had to be home to do some spying of my own. I've been sneaking around the sanctuary for the past three days to see what he's up to. Babette and Arnbjorn both know because they could smell me, and now you know as well, but to the knowledge of the other assassins I've only just returned this morning." She didn't need to tell me that I should not inform any of the others.

"But why all of the secrecy?" I asked once she finished, both of us still staring eachother down, though I must admit that, had this been a proper staring contest, she probably would have won, "I can understand wanting to keep an eye on Cicero," And, looking at things from her perspective, and even from my own, I could understand easily, "But why would you hide from the others?"

Her gaze sharpened as I said that, and I suddenly felt like I was under Madesi's magnifying glass, being observed and examined, not for imperfections or flaws but for dishonesty, deception and betrayal, causing me to freeze and analyse what I had just said to determine what I had said that had set her off. Her eyes continued to search my expression for whatever it was that she was looking for before she relaxed minutely, though she remained still partially guarded as she replied, "Sister, either you are incredibly loyal to me or you are incredibly naive. I'd have to say that you are probably both." My eyebrows raise at that comment.