El exhaled air loudly. She was sitting near the inn counter sipping slowly lemonade (with some extra sugar). She was also given a cheesecake, as once she insisted she wanted to try it. She didn’t like cheesecake that much thought, she preferred even sweeter one –cream cakes, brownies and such. Why did she force herself into eating it then? Well, just recently she learned that it was SOMEONE’S favorite cake. This alone was more than enough to motivate her into eating another piece of bitter cake, sweetened only by a thin layer of syrup – which was far too sweet.

HOW COULD SOMEONE LIKE SOMETHING LIKE THIS!?

The cake should be sweet! If you don’t want sweet things, then eat a bitter ones… BUT FOR MERCY OF GODDESS! DECIDE YOURSELF! EITHER SWEET OR BITTER! DON’T MIX IT!

Mr. Zariel was truly a mystery. But, people as great as himself must have had their own extravagant and weird behaviors. Geniuses – who can keep up with them?

“Eeeelly! Why do you have such a long face?!” Rus yelled sitting next to her before noticing her dish “… this again? El. Maybe you would order something you would like?” “N-no! T-thank you! But I will manage! Life is not about getting everything you want… Also, there are people that can’t even afford cheesecakes… I should be grateful for what I have… I am training my spirit right now!” she wasn’t really convincing “Oh? Is that so? So you definitely don’t want to impress SOMEONE?! Like, having another common thing?” “D-don’t be silly!” “And you won’t ACCIDENTALLY buy two cheesecakes and offer him one saying something like ” Russiwel mimicked her friend’s voice. “HOW DID YOU…” Oh, poor El, let herself be played like a fiddle. Only once she noticed the look that her friend gave her she understood the trap she fell into “… Russ. You are a meanie!” All red on her face blonde girl turned away from her companion “I am the meanie?! You were the one that tried keeping secrets from me! You are twice as mean as I am!... Hey! Uncle!” magician called for bartender “Ah! Russ! What can I get for you?” bit chubby man in his early forties greeted his favorite customers with a big smile on his face. “I want something sweet! What do you get?” “Maybe just like EL…” “No-no-no-no. Sweet-sweet. Sweety sweet sweets. That’s what I want.” “Say no more!”

He vanished for a moment in the backroom’s kitchen behind a bar and after a minute or two he returned with:

“My opus magnum! Warm apple pie with cold cream and syrup! Decorated with biscuits and…” the man kept on praising his latest creation.

And the dish was beautiful. To girls, it was sparkling, basked in purest light. A rainbow shined above it and a unicorn cry could be heard somewhere in the distance.

And girls' eyes were sparkling too. Their mouth were open wide as a stream of saliva was slowly making its way to the ground.

The stomach of Elana growled with primal need. She looked at her cheesecake, at apple pie and again on the cheesecake. Maybe if she would imagine her dessert is actually THAT pie?

No-no-no! Imagination itself won’t be sufficient! She had to taste it! SHE HAD TO!

“… Even as I call it my opus magnum… the truth is that the receipt was given to me by Zariel. Damn, this kid – each time he walks by he gives me creeps, but he knows a thing or two about cakes, I have to give him that.” “M-m-mr.Zariel eats other cakes?” El made huge eyes “Eats? He literally swallows them whole! Apple pies, carrot pies, brownies! He would just drink whole barrels of coffee in the meantime, but yes – he does.”

Elana’s resolve broke and shatter.

“U-uncle… do you have perhaps another cake like that?” “Hm? Oh, sorry. I just made it moments ago, to be honest, it wasn’t meant to be sold just yet, just a test, it’s actually quite difficult to make it and takes lots of time, so I am afraid I don’t, and I won’t do another one anytime soon.”

The air by the bar’s counter became thicker.

“Rus. Would you mind giving me a bite?” “I don’t know if some mean lying cat deserves even a crumb!” “Is this how much our friendship is worth to you?” “El, you know that I love you, but I won’t let you stand between me and my cake!” “It’s war then!” “G-girls?!” poor uncle was more than just confused “As the ultimate sweets lover, I hereby declare that your resistance shall not be tolerated!” El quickly picked her dagger “As the absolute sweets connoisseur – not even a bite shall be taken from me!” flames danced in both Russ’s hands. “… I still have a chocolate volcano? Also Zariel’s receipt test! You can have it!”

Flames and dagger disappeared even before he finished his sentence.

Girls eyes once again were filled with sparkles and joy.

“Half applied pie and half of chocolate one?” Russ asked her companion in a pure, innocent tone “Sounds fine!” little rogue almost chirped like a bird with delighted tone.

Women. In one moment they are best friends, in next one they are picking up weapons ready to slice one another for a piece of cake, in next moment they are best friends again. Women – they are truly mysterious creatures!

Half hour later two girls moved to the corner of the inn where their teacher was waiting for them.

“How did it go?” she asked her students “Even better than you told us! He offered us one free cake, true, but he also forgot to charge us for the first one! He was truly shocked!” Russ said proud. “See? The art of manipulation is truly amazing! Make a scene and you are very likely to get something nice. It’s easier when you are a woman, it’s much easier when you are cute, beautiful, charming or erotic, but if you are just as cute and innocent looking like two of you right now success is bound to happen!”

Assassin gave her lecture.

“S-still, I feel bad for using Mr. bartender like that! He is a good man.” In El’s voice, true sorrow could be heard “El, it was just a lesson. It is up to you how you would use this knowledge in the future… but your nice Mr. bartender won’t lose a penny, he is already overcharging for his goods and serves alcohol mixed with water to drunk adventures… Two cakes – hah – he won’t even feel that!” “S-still! Just because someone is sinful doesn’t mean we should commit his crimes! We should respond with good and generosity to show him that true pleasure can be achieved by giving instead of taking!” El lose herself in her noble thoughts.

Both Russ and Aielle only exhaled air loudly.

“Anyway. Next important lesson would be charming people with your natural beauty! You will try to make people invite you for a date, in such manner that they would believe that they had initiative, then we would proceed with behaving during dates – will tell you this already girls, the key is to actively listen – and then, of course, a quick sex classes…” “S-S-S-SEEEX!? Are you crazy!? There is no way you can speak about it so casually!” “Yeah, right, I forgot. You want your first time be with your husband night after wedding on huge white bed covered in rose petals.” Ay mocked the blonde girl “… Petals are optional…” El said quietly, more to herself than responding to her teacher “You know what, girl? I really pray that you will get your happy ending. Chances are rather low, but if you would manage to find your prince charming, then so be it.” “Oh? Teacher showing some compassion? Who are you and what did you do to our teacher!” Russ joked, which earned her a karate-chop in the head – a strong one, in the end, Ai was a skilled assassin “…A-anyway! If we are speaking about sex-classes, let’s start with theory! How was your first time, teacher?!”

Russ thought that she would either be able to embarrass her teacher, or at least cause some minor change in behaviors – it would be her small victory, for Aielle always repeated that they had to keep their blood cold and head cool.

“I think I was raped… I can’t be sure it was so long time ago, I was still barely a child… Yeah, I was definitely raped. Some of our classes were sparring between kids trained for assassins. The rule was that the winner could do whatever he pleased with the loser, and we were given really little food, so usually, the winner ordered to give himself loser’s portion of food, but I was to spare when our bodies started developing and changing, so boys naturally grew other urges… well, he demanded something else. There was no bed, only cold bricks of sewers we were living in, and no petals but dirt and rats watching us from the distance…” she noticed the terrified expression of her students “.. but hey! A few years later our last test was to kill everyone else in a group, you know, the deathmatch. From half hundreds of kids that started training only ten survived till the last day, we almost turned into family! And then they told us that only one of us would leave the sewers! I managed to be the one to shove the daggers between his ribs! It was a blast! See girls? There is no bad thing that couldn’t end with some good plot twist! Ah, I almost miss these days! I was so clumsy in my youthful days! By the way, did you know? When I got my first target and sliced his throat I slipped and fall on the poll of blood he made! That alarmed the guards and I had to run like a fool I was! Each time I remind myself that I want to laugh! Ha-ha-ha!”

She tried to change the topic with a “joke” she found “funny”. Well, the outcome was even worse.

“Miss…” El moved close to her and hugged her tightly “What are you doing!? Go away! Shush! Good vibes! Tfe! Take these away from me!... OK, jokes aside. I am allowing this for now cuz I know you are pure and dumb. But if you will show pity to me one more time, I will cut your pretty face…”

This time no joke could be heard in Aielle’s cold tone. It was like a bucket of cold water causing Elana to jump away in terror.

“El. I may be joking a lot, I may be laughing a lot. But it won’t change that I am Syndicate’s assassin. I am a sadist. I am a person that if I would be ordered to kill you, I wouldn’t even think about it twice. I deserve no pity, for I never pitied my victims.”

She would later take a glass of her whiskey (despite morning hour) and bottomed it down.

“Now, loves, follow me, we gotta do some more old fashioned exercises. We will train Russ’s accuracy in throwing her fireballs and El’ evasion! At the same time! I just made this wonderful training method! Am I not genius?! Russ, for every projectile you miss you will spend 10 minutes in THE CHAMBER! El, for every fireball you won’t dodge… you will be hit with a fireball, I guess? That’s punishment itself, isn’t it?” “NOT FAIR! Why am I the only one that can get punished with the chamber?” “Because I say so?” “NOT FAIR!?”

What was THE CHAMBER?! What kind of cruelty would Russ suffer?

You will see that and much more on next chaa…. Or not. We got the schedule quite busy. Use your imagination!