Blood Oath (Ruby Rose/Ares fan fic)

Twenty-one

Two days later we're again in her shooting range while the assassin times how fast I can take apart a gun and put it back together. She smiles satisfied with the result, I'm getting better and I've also learnt how to keep the guns clean and oiled. Ares places great emphasis on this matter, according to her if a gun jams or explodes it's because it isn't well-maintained. She's also gave me a driving lesson through the neighbourhood streets coming back from the supermarket: how to know if you're been followed, how to lose them and how to turn abruptly keeping the car under control. It was great fun even if I didn't dare to hit the gas, to be honest I'm a very cautious driver. The truth is that I hate driving... or rather I hate the other drivers, people do the weirdest things when they have a wheel in their hands.

During our visit to the supermarket she showed me how to dodge a potential pursuer walking between the aisles of fruits and vegetables and cereals and cookies. The security guard was staring at us seeming confused and worried at the same time by our strange movements so we leave it and we finished with our shopping list. After going out of the supermarket we took our bags to the trunk and I learnt how to check the undercarriage discreetly looking for bombs stuck under the driver's seat. I find all this stuff fascinating, to be honest, and very different to the subjects I studied at the MIT. I really enjoy learning from Ares, she's a very patient teacher and she manages fine to explain things even if she can't talk. Moreover, her neighbourhood is beautiful, once you leave the old and quiet industrial area where she lives it only takes ten minutes to arrive to a very lively residential neighbourhood filled with shops, restaurants, schools, coffee shops and parks.

In exchange for her lessons and kindness I took her to one of my favourite shops where we were picking out the best options for her home: security cameras and screens, motion detectors, alarms for windows, security doors, powerful lights that make a thief thinking twice before breaking in... And I also learnt something new since one side of the factory faces the sea and I didn't know how to protect it, apparently there're special cameras that don't get stained by water drops and the saltiness doesn't damage them. She didn't want us to go at first since it's a bad idea to visit places that are familiar to you when you have a bunch of Irish killers looking for you through the city but I assured her that we'd have no problem, actually I buy most of my gadgets on line and I've been only twice in that shop. Since the biggest advantage of Ares house is its anonymity and nobody seems to know where she lives, we bought some simple alarms and cameras to increase slightly the security level she has now but we didn't get obsessed with the matter. In addition to this, I promised to program a simpler system to control them than the one they have pre-installed. We got everything ready late yesterday evening.

After putting all the guns back in their bags we get into the elevator to go to her loft. It could be said that during these past days we have established a routine so, while she makes dinner, I'll play with my cats, brush them and put some food on their bowls. Then, I'll help her to put the dishes in the dishwasher and we'll watch TV for a while, or I'll work if Winston has asked for something special. For the first time since I graduated I have an organized and reasonable timetable, with a designated time to go to bed and regular and balanced meals. My job performance is way better and I feel good physically and mentally but I'm pretty sure that, once Ares is gone, it'll be very difficult for me to keep this way of life, not only because I can't cook like a chef like she does but because of pure and simple laziness. Well, at least I freely admit my flaws...

Half an hour later Bonny and Josie are tired of chasing their blue ball, the one with a little bell inside that makes a hell of a noise, and I can wash my hands and sit down at the table where a wiener schnitzel with salad is waiting for me. I start eating hungrily, my roommate is an amazing cook. When I'm almost finishing my food the electronic sound of Ares' device interrupts my dinner.